Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi: Mori no Kuni
by KingofLoosePages
Summary: Sequel to OW,AS. Back in his child body, Shurachi isn't Shurachi and the Hidden countries are a far away dream. What will he do to survive? What will he do to get back? And can a fledgling shinobi clan weather the wrath of Voldemort?
1. Prologue

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** I didn't own them last story, what makes you think I own them now?

**Note:** So I finally have a "steady" computer. Let us hope, pray, and make supersticious gestures that it lasts. The long awaited (yeah right) sequel to Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi. Do not direct your hate at me, this plot bunny bit me on the ass after ReflectionsOfReallity shook it up in a box and then threw it at me. I will be posting the first proper chapter immediately after the prologue, so enjoy. 8P

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Prologue

Harry woke suddenly and completely. He kept his eyes closed, as he'd been trained, and felt around himself. His chakra was weak, slow to respond, so he tried using his magic. It reached out much easier and wrapped around two people. He vaguely recognized them as "not a threat" and so dismissed them.

Instead, he focused on trying to figure out where he was. The chemical smell that always made his nose sting for hours wasn't there, so he wasn't in a hospital. He could, however, taste the acrid tang of a potion on his tongue. So the Hogwarts Infirmary then.

He tried inhaling, wanting to get a better picture of the room around him. Nothing came to his mind. No rush of grass, cloying ingredients; there was nothing. He hadn't felt so blind since...since when? He'd never used his nose to scent things before had he?

The only things he ever used it to smell were dinner, potions ingredients, and his clothes. At least, on purpose. Shaking the feeling of "wrongness" off, he finally opened his eyes. The light of the infirmary glared angrily into his blurry eyes, as if to reprimand him for pretending to sleep.

"I see you're awake, my boy!" Dumbledore's beaming face came into view as Harry's glasses were slipped onto his nose.

"Professor? What happened?" Harry sat up, rubbing his eyes under his glasses groggily. He glanced around for his canine companion, only to come up short when he realized he'd never had a dog before. His Aunt disliked them.

Dumbledore twinkled at him over his half-moon spectacles and Harry felt an irrational anger over take him. He pushed that back as well and merely looked at the old wizard quizzically. "It seems you have stopped Voldemort once more my boy."

Green eyes widened and Harry's hand shot to his pocket, where the Philosopher's Stone had been. Dumbledore's smile grew a little sadder.

"It was shattered when you fell my boy, but you saved it from Voldemort and delayed his return another year." The old man showed Harry the shards of the stone. They glinted uselessly in the sunlight.

"Then the Flamels..." Harry trailed off, feeling a sort of pity over take him. He didn't feel guilty, no, but he did feel bad that they would soon die.

"Ah, well, to the well organized mind, Death is but the next great adventure. Now, you surely have questions for me?" Dumbledore tucked the pieces away in a bag and slipped that up his sleeve.

Harry thought for a moment, trying to remember as much as he could about what had happened after the potions room. There wasn't much, though he could remember lying to Quirrell about what he saw in the mirror.

A purple spell, a rush of pain, Voldemort screaming at the Professor and then blackness. But hadn't something happened before that? Hadn't he touched Quirrell? The man had blistered beneath his fingers, his body burning up at Harry's touch.

"When I touched Professor Quirrell, he-" Harry quieted as Dumbledore interrupted him.

"That, my boy, was your mother's love for you. She cast a very powerful protection over you that night. Voldemort could not touch you, not without causing himself great harm. Now, if that's all, Madame Pomfrey has given you permission to attend the leaving feast."

Suddenly, his twinkle brightened and he smiled as if he were sharing a big secret with Harry. "I don't have to tell you that what happened was kept completely secret. So naturally, everyone knows about it."

Then he was gone, leaving behind a bewildered, and slightly annoyed, Harry.


	2. Chapter 1

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** You're terribly delusional if you think you I make any money, at all, let alone off of _this_!

**Note:** And here's chapter one. Harry has Shurachi's "memories" but to him he has experienced being Harry longer, his magic and strengths have been growing as Harry where before they grew as Shurachi, so his magic made Harry the more "dominate" personality with the essence of Shurachi mooshed in.

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A head of black hair tossed and turned in the throws of an unfamiliar nightmare. Harry jerked and thrashed on the bed, his body discontent to lay still. When Hedwig finally swooped into the window he shot up with a quiet gasp. "Kiba!"

Scrambling out of the bed, Harry searched desperately for his little brother. The pup was nowhere to be found and when he tried to scent for him, Harry caught nothing but dust. It was like someone had stuck river clay up his nose.

Then the memory slipped back, letting his rational mind take over. However, his rational mind wasn't much better. He knew that he'd just been killed, had watched his pup try to escape. The village was gone, Naruto was fighting something more dangerous than Harry wanted to think about. He had no idea if Shino, Hajime, or anybody was alright.

He wasn't Inuzuka Shurachi though, he was Harry Potter. Newly turned twelve year old wizard in training. Only, he could remember his mother dying, his father and sister teaching his baby brother to call him mommy. Learning to be a shinobi, learning to be a wizard, and then taking over a clan. Hadn't he already killed Voldemort? But he'd only just stopped him from coming back...

A sharp pain began throbbing in Harry's temple as he tried to sort through everything. His magic, sensing that its user was going to suffer permanent damage if something wasn't done soon, quickly swooped in and began to integrate the new memories as best it could.

Harry slept for three days.

When he woke again he was terribly hungry. Quietly leaving his room, as it was the middle of the night, he snuck into the kitchen and rummaged around in the fridge. A slice of cheese, some left over chicken, and two pieces of bread made a delicious sandwich that he chased down with a glass of milk. His body was woefully deficient compared to what he remembered of his first time around as a twelve year old.

A glance at the wall clock told him it was nearly three in the morning, so he stole back up the stairs and settled in to practice chakra control exercises. His reserves were lower than they had been since before he started the academy.

"You better be awake now boy!" The harsh tones of Uncle Vernon snarled as the door opened. Harry sat the paper crane he'd been levitating on his palm aside and climbed off his bed.

"I'm awake Uncle. Did you want me to make breakfast?" Harry was polite, though it took some effort to keep his lip from curling. He had feared this man? There were scarier Iwa shinobi.

Vernon's beady eyes narrowed, but he decided not to bother with it and instead grunted. "Get to it boy!"

Harry crept down the stairs, unconsciously stepping lighter on the squeaky stair, and began to cook breakfast. He'd done this so often growing up, and as Shurachi he'd made harder recipes than the Dursley's would ever be comfortable eating.

He took his customary banana and glass of water back up to his room and settled to practice levitating the paper crane with off various body parts with his chakra.

Several days later, Harry was hurrying to keep up with his aunt in muggle London. Vernon and Dudley had gone off to do some father son bonding at the races and Petunia hadn't wanted to leave him home alone while she ran errands. Ms. Figg had refused to take him, claiming that she had other plans already.

"Keep up boy, I'll not look for you if you get lost!" Petunia's shrill tones made him look or her, and took his attention off the crowd around him.

Someone crashed into his should and they both fell to the ground. Harry landed on his back with a grunt and the other person landed on top of him with a small cry. The added weight made Harry huff, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm so sorry!" A young voice said, the body atop his trying t scramble up. The boy only managed to jab his elbow into Harry's stomach.

The wizard grunted again, then grabbed the boy to keep him from moving. "Hold still." He gruffed, vowing to intensify his training schedule. A fall like that shouldn't have happened, let alone hurt.

Concerned brown eyes peered down at him. "Are you okay?!" A second voice asked and Harry glanced over the boys shoulder to see a younger, smaller version of the one on his chest.

"I'm fine." Harry sat up, carefully maneuvering the boy to sit in his lap. "You should be more careful. If I'd been any bigger you would have been trampled."

The boy flushed. "I'm sorry, we're just a little lost so I was trying to find where we're supposed to be."

Harry frowned and helped the other to his feet, then stood himself. He was nearly fifteen centimeters taller, and felt like a giant compared to the younger of the brothers; or he assumed they were brothers anyway. "Where are you supposed to be?"

Both boys shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, the...um... The Leaky Cauldron."

Green eyes narrowed and took the pair in once more. They didn't seem awkward in muggle London like other wizards, nor did they look out of place. Plus, they couldn't find the pub and Harry was pretty sure that wizarding children never wandered far from it if they went into the muggle world at all.

"Come on, I know where it is." They lit up and the smaller one hurried forward to grab his hand.

"Thank you! My name is Dennis, this is my brother Collin. He's starting at Hogwarts this year!" Green eyes glanced down at the boy, Dennis, as he carefully moved through the people.

Collin gave a small cry of alarm as the crowd started to separate them. Harry shot his free hand out and grabbed the boy's wrist, jerking him forward. He gasped out a thanks, but Harry cut him off. "I'm Harry. You shouldn't talk about that stuff out here though, it's illegal to let muggles know."

Dennis looked down, thoroughly chastised, and they were silent the rest of the way. It wasn't until he was tapping the bricks in the alley that Harry realized he'd lost his aunt.

`Oh well, I can always stay at The Leaky Cauldron until summers over.' Harry thought to himself. The idea became more and more appealing as he thought about it. No one to watch him and keep him from training, no one to smack him if he ate to much of their food.

"Oh wow! This is amazing!" Harry smiled indulgently, following behind the boys until they realized that they didn't have the proper money. "What do we do? It doesn't look like they use regular money!"

A quiet chuckle escaped him and the brothers, who had clasped hands to despair together, flushed. "I need to visit the bank, you get your money exchanged while we're there."

The boys beamed at him and Harry was eerily reminded of the Weasley twins. These two didn't share a birthday, or even a birth year, but it was very obvious that they saw each other as equals rather than older and younger brother.

The goblins watched, bemused, as the three boys entered the building. The Creevey brothers marveled at the dour creatures, exclaiming over every new thing they saw. Many witches and wizards went out of their way to avoid looking at the pair.

This was probably why Harry wasn't recognized as he entered the bank behind them, an amused glint in his eye. The goblins immediately turned their attention to him; guessing, correctly, that he was their keeper on this trip.

It took a remarkably short amount of time for a goblin to be free and Harry headed for him immediately. "Excuse me, may I speak with Gravelnock concerning my family vaults?" He asked politely. The goblin peered down at him contemptuously, its beady eyes flicking to his forehead.

"Do you have your key?" It asked shrewdly. Harry handed over the bit of metal and the creature looked it over briefly before nodding. "Very well. Shankshiv, show Mr. Potter to Gravelnock's office."

A burly looking goblin holding a spear came forward and walked by them, obviously expecting the trio to follow. Harry did so willingly, recognizing the goblin as the one who had accosted him in his previous life. He'd decided to look at it as a case of reincarnation, it was easier that way.

A graying goblin looked up from the heavy desk it sat behind as they were led into a study-like room. "Mr. Potter, and guests, to see you about his family vaults Lord Gravelnock," Shankshiv growled. The older goblin nodded and the Creevey brothers watched as the warrior left the room. They'd been remarkably quiet since Harry had started talking to the goblin behind the counter.

"Am I to assume you have finally received one of our letters, Mr. Potter?" The goblin's gruff voice covered the noise of Harry sitting in the chair before the desk; Collin and Dennis settled on the couch.

Green eyes closed "No, I have never gotten mail from Gringotts Bank. I just happened to be showing these two around the alley when I realized we needed to visit the bank."

Gravelnock frowned, lessening the amount of teeth shown but still appearing threatening, as was the goblin way. "You should have been getting a monthly statement since you turned ten. Do you know if you have a mail ward around your home?"

Harry hummed thoughtfully, eyes rolling up to look at the ceiling as he tried to think of whether or not there could be a mail ward. "I don't think there is, though I haven't really been told what sorts of wards are on my home. Then again, I haven't gotten any mail this year either, so there might be." He shrugged, already thinking of places he could go to find someone to check the wards around his house.

"I see. Well, there hasn't been any transactions since you withdrew money from your trust vault in the summer of 1991. There were several withdrawals from your family vault by one Albus Dumbledore before that date, but everything he took out was replaced within the year." Gravelnock said, shuffling some papers and showing a few to Harry.

The Potter nodded, then glanced at the boys he'd picked up in London. "Could I get a copy of my statement and any necessary paperwork? I still need to visit my vault and do some shopping." He leaned forward, pitching his voice low so the Creeveys couldn't hear. "Also, what is the exchange rate on muggle currency to wizarding?"

Gravelnock smiled, a terrifying display of pointy teeth, and murmured the rate back. Harry nodded and sat back. "If that is all Mr. Potter, we'll have a copy of the papers ready for you when you return from your vault. Shankshiv? If you could escort Mr. Potter to his vault."

The spear wielding goblin entered the room and gruffly led the three of them to a cart. "Key?" He asked, glaring shrewdly at Harry. The teen handed his key over and settled in for a fast ride.

He managed to fill his bag with little trouble, but when he glanced at the brothers he made a decision. "Collin, how much did you say you had on you?"

The boy pulled out a wad of bills and quickly counted them. "About 50 or so pounds. Why?"

Harry quickly scooped double the amount Collin's money would be worth into a second bag. "Here, you can give me the muggle money and I'll give you the wizarding equivalent without charging the exchange fee that the goblins have."

Collin perked up and easily traded; he didn't even check to make sure it was the right amount. Harry made a mental note to break him of that habit.

When they reached the top, Harry was handed a stack of papers and they went back into the alley. He followed them around as they bought Collin's school supplies, asking the shop owners for the second year books as he went since his letter hadn't arrived.

When they were done he accompanied them back into muggle London. They called their father from a payphone and Harry waited with them in front of a hat shop until the man had arrived.

"Thank you for looking after my boys." Mr. Creevey said, smiling at Harry. The Potter frowned, his disapproval of the man very clear. How could someone let their children wander around a big city unsupervised? Especially when the children were as naïve as those two?

He didn't say anything though, merely nodded at the man and smiled at the brothers. When they were gone, Harry used the payphone to call a cab and get a ride back to the Dursley's. He told the man to wait for him and hurried inside.

Harry ignored his aunt's shrill questions and his uncle's angry demands in favor of collecting his things from his room. Then he moved to the hall cupboard and eyed the lock on it. A padlock, heavy duty and not easily broken

A bit of chakra channeled to his leg and foot, a little trace of magic wrapped over the skin of both, and he viciously kicked the lock. It broke with a loud thump and both his relatives shut up. "I will be leaving. If anyone comes looking for me then tell them I'm off to summer camp." He dragged his trunk out, grunting at the weight.

Petunia covered her mouth and her eyes took on a suspiciously glassy look. "Where are you going," She asked hesitantly, her hands fluttering as if she didn't know what to do with them?

"To stay at an inn that my kind runs," Harry answered simply.

The woman nodded, then glanced at the empty owl cage; Harry had sent Hedwig ahead of him. "How will we contact you if one of those people doesn't believe us?"

Smiling a little bitterly, Harry looked at her. "They'll know how. Good bye." He was out the door, loading his trunk into the cab's boot. The cabbie climbed out to help him and didn't say a word as Harry gave him the address for a business next to the Leaky Cauldron.


	3. Chapter 2

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** Yeah, right.

**Note:** Okay guys. There is an important poll on my authors page. Its about Harry's new companion, so you'll want to vote for it. I can't promise anything, because I already have several versions written out and I may just go with the one I like best, but I do want to know what you think.

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Harry quickly found, after checking into the tavern in Knockturn Alley that he remembered taking Jonathan too, that the Ministry couldn't track his magic use if he was in one of the Alley's. The ambient magic in them, and the multitude of spells being used every minute, made it impossible to track what magic was being done where and by whom.

Of course, he took full advantage of this. By the time August 20 had come around, Harry had already gone through the first and second year books twice and performed almost all of the spells. Doing spells seemed to be just like doing a jutsu, so long as you understood what was happening you could mostly pull it off.

Doing magic wasn't as taxing as using his chakra, but Harry still worked on chakra exercises. He needed to build up his chakra reserves to the impressive size they'd been before, if only because wizards wouldn't know how to defend against it.

Another thing he practiced often was weaponry. From swords to senbon, he practiced three hours a day. His mind knew the moves, but his body hadn't memorized them yet. So he had to build muscle mass and start on muscle recall.

On his last night in the tavern, a strange creature visited him. It had bulging, bulbous eyes, and huge ears.

"Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts!" The thing squeaked at him. Harry eyed it in disbelief from where he'd been lounging in an armchair.

Idly, the human contemplated the kunai in his hand, then the creature that had appeared in his room. "And why shouldn't I? What could possibly persuade me to stay away?" He finally asked, watching the thing wring it's hands in interest. He'd never seen such a creature before. Not in either life.

It wailed a little, tugging sharply on it's ears. "There is a plot! Something terrible, Master…oh Master will be so angry with Dobby!" It moved to the wardrobe and began to smash it's hand in the door.

Alarmed, Harry moved to stop it. The creature thrashed in his hold, trying to hurt itself more, but he held firm until it calmed down. Once it realized that it was being held, however, it vanished with a little squeak. Harry blinked at his empty hand, shocked.

When he caught the train the next day, he made sure to get a compartment toward the back of the train. He came early and warded it as best he could, not wanting to deal with Ron and Hermione quite yet. So much had changed during the summer that he was a little hesitant to let them see his new self.

He watched the Weasley family, plus Hermione, wait until the last possible minute for him. When he didn't show as the train was whistling, the children boarded. Harry sat uneasily for nearly ten minutes before he decided that none of them were going to find him.

So, he pulled out a book on the various creatures that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was supposed to have destroyed and began reading.

About half way through the first page, someone knocked on his compartment door. He peaked through the frosted glass as best he could, saw that it was a short, brown haired person, and unlocked the door. He found Collin, fidgeting nervously and glancing down the hall.

The boys eyes had a slightly shiny quality to them that Harry remembered from when Kiba had first been learning to climb trees. He'd fallen out of one and had teared up, but refused to cry. "Collin?"

His face immediately snapped up and a watery smile broke out. "Harry!" The boy launched himself into Harry's arms, his face hidden in Harry's chest. "I'm so glad I found you! Can I sit with you, please?"

"Of course you can." Harry murmured, backing into his compartment. He dragged Collin's trunk inside, slid the door closed and redid the locking charm. "Now, what's wrong?"

Collin sniffled, cuddling against Harry when the Gryffindor sat back down. "It's nothing," he mumbled. Harry snorted; "Nothing huh? You look pretty upset over nothing."

The younger boy frowned against Harry's shoulder. "I just miss Dennis already and some older years yelled at me when I asked if I could sit with them," he finally mumbled after a few seconds of silence.

Frowning himself, Harry leaned back so e could look at Collin's face. "Were these older years wearing green and silver?" Collin nodded, looking down at his lap. "Then don't worry about them, they're not very important."

Hesitantly, Collin smiled up at Harry; he seemed to notice that Harry had been reading and a curious look overtook his features. "What'cha reading Harry?"

Harry quirked a small smile and picked the book back up, showing Collin the title. "I was just reading about the creatures that Professor Lockhart was supposed to have defeated. He wrote about how he defeated them, but he didn't mention anything about the creatures themselves."

The Creevey scooted off of Harry's lap and rummaged around in his trunk. "I got a book like that! Dennis likes animals, so he made me buy one when you were getting your school books. But he told me to bring it just in case I ran into anything dangerous. I told him that you would protect me if I did, because you're...um...sorry." He smiled sheepishly, realizing he'd been rambling.

It didn't bother Harry though, and he chuckled quietly as Collin continued on after Harry told him it was okay. The train ride was filled with the younger boys chatter and the occasional turning of pages as Collin used his animal book to demonstrate his point.

Harry waited with Collin for Hagrid to start leading the first years away, then moved to join his own year in the carriages. There was only one left. When he climbed inside, someone gasped so he looked up. It was his roommates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. They glanced at each other nervously, then at Harry.

The Gryffindor smiled at the pair, wracking his brain for something to say. He needn't have bothered though, because Dean broke the awkward silence for him. "Hiya Harry." The black boy smiled nervously, and Harry returned it with a relieved one of his own.

"Hi Dean, Seamus. How was your summer?"

Seamus cleared his throat. "It was okay. My mum and da made me get my homework out of the way, but then we went and visited some cousins in Whales." He shrugged, then turned his eyes to Dean expectantly.

"I got my work done first as well. My grandmother came to visit for most of the summer though, so nothing really exciting happened." The awkward silence fell again.

Harry fidgeted a little, then straightened. He'd spoken with the leaders of a country as Shurachi, he couldtalk to two school boys as Harry! "Ah, my summer was kind of exciting. My, um, relatives let me stay in the alley for the summer. Did you know that you can practice underage magic there? The guy who was watching out for me said that the ministry can't track it because of all the other magic."

Not entirely a lie, the bar tender had told him he do could magic. The man had also warned him that vampires and werewolves frequented the tavern when Harry had first asked for a room.

After that the silence wasn't as awkward. Instead, it felt almost comfortable. When the carriage pulled up to the school, Harry happily sat with the two boys and cheered for the children being sorted. He ruffled Collin's hair when the boy came to sit beside him at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the looks that Ron and Hermione were shooting him.

However, once he got settled in the common room he could no longer avoid them.

"Where were you Harry? We were so worried when it looked like you had missed the train, then you come waltzing into the Great Hall with Dean and Seamus!" Hermione said, her voice getting more disapproving as she went.

"Yeah mate, I thought Mum would go spare when the whistle blew and you weren't there yet," Ron added.

Harry sighed and looked away from them, into the fire. "Sorry guys, I got there early and didn't really want to risk running into Malfoy and his goons. Plus, Collin found me a little after the train left and I didn't want to seem like I was abandoning him."

Both of his friends frowned, obviously not sure who Collin was. Harry gestured as the first years "The short one." Their faces took on a look of understanding, but Hermione's quickly melted into disapproval again.

"Still Harry, that's no reason to miss the carriages! You could have come and found us then," she huffed, crossing her arms.

The green eyed boy merely shrugged, not feeling like arguing with her. Yes, he could have looked for them, but they could have looked for him too. It wasn't like he'd hidden himself.

After that things went back to normal. They attended classes, studied, and relaxed in the common room together. Sometimes Collin or Ron's little sister, Ginny, would join them and if Harry was a little more distant than normal, well, no one said anything.

In fact, it wasn't until Harry started to hear a voice in the halls that the routine was broken. He'd first heard it after having to serve detention with Professor Lockhart, a very incompetent man as far as Harry was concerned.

"Rip them up, kill them. Can I eat any? No, says master. So hungry, but I tear them up instead."

The words were alarming and Harry found himself following the voice until he couldn't hear it anymore. He managed to avoid running into Snape, however, so he hurried back to his dorm before Filch or Mrs. Norris could find him instead.

When he arrived, everyone had already gone to sleep and a little body was hiding under his covers. Having gotten used to Collin crawling into bed with him at night, Harry simply got ready for bed and settled in behind him.

After that, Harry kept a close ear to the walls and followed the voice several times. Nothing ever happened, despite it's threats, so he let his guard relax a little and enjoyed the Halloween feast. He shouldn't have, immediately after losing focus he learned that the caretakers cat had been petrified.

Ron and Hermione, who'd been to the Deathday Party Harry had refused, stumbled across it first. Filch had accused them of petrifying Mrs. Norris, but Snape had come to their defense. Harry had kept Collin, who was the whole reason he hadn't gone to the party, close to his side on the way back to the tower.

"Harry?" Collin asked later, when they were both safely ensconced in Harry's closed off bed.

"Hmmm?" Green eyes remained closed and a lean arm was thrown over Collin's waist.

"What do you think petrified that cat? Do you think it could hurt us?" There was real concern in that voice. Harry opened his eyes to peer at the back of Collin's head.

Surely he wasn't worried about being attacked? "Collin? Are you afraid you'll be attacked?"

A shrug gave the answer away and Harry sighed. "How about I start walking you to classes? So long as you wait for me before wandering around the halls, you'll be okay."

Collin nodded and silence fell once more. Harry was almost asleep before the boy in his arms turned to face him. "Harry?"

A small sound of question was his only answer and Collin sighed. "Thanks." Harry grunted a little, but his thumb rubbed a soothing circle on Collin's shoulder.

He was right, so long as Collin waited for Harry, he was safe. But when Harry ended up in the Hospital Wing because of a rogue bludger and Professor Lockhart's incompetence he couldn't follow Collin around.

It was as he was trying to sleep, the pain from Skelegrow making it difficult, that Collin was brought in.

"The boy was on his way down here it looks like."

"Probably to fawn over Potter."

"Now Severus, this is no time to be bitter."

"Look, he has his camera, do you think he took a picture of his attacker?"

There was the sound of the camera opening, then a quiet hiss.

"The film is completely disintegrated..."

"Well, there's little we can do now. Why don't you head to sleep and I'll get him situated."

"Good night Poppy!"

The door closed and Harry waited for Madame Pomfrey's office to do the same before climbing out of bed. He moved over to Collin, who was pale as granite. "You shouldn't have come to visit me," he murmured, feeling an itch form behind his eyes.

Determinedly ignoring it, Harry continued to look down at Collin until a sound startled him into turning around. The creature from summer was there, once again wringing it's hands.

"Oh noes, oh noes. Harry Potter must leave now, now that he is hurt. Go home!" Harry snarled, grabbing the front of the creature's clothes. Or was it a pillow case?

"You! Is it your fault I'm in here?!" He bared blunt teeth, forgetting that he no longer had fangs to intimidate with.

It nodded frantically, clawing at his hand. "Yes! Dobby send that bludgy at you! Only want to hurt you enough to go home, it's not safe here!"

Green eyes burned "What are you, who are you, to do such a thing?! Thanks to you, Collin was attacked! I wasn't there to protect him!"

Harry threw it to the floor, his chakra building up around him until it was almost repressive.

"Dobby is sorry! He not want Creepy boy to be hurt, but Harry Potter must not stay!"

A cruel smile spread over Harry's lips "I'm afraid you have made it impossible for me to leave. You see, I'm not going home until Collin is set to rights."

Dobby wailed, loudly, and Madame Pomfrey's door slammed open. She hurried forward, worry all over her face. Dobby had already disappeared.

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Okay. Lots of reviews, lots of alerts and favs. You guys make me so very happy! I was feeling inspired by you and decided to post this chapter now rathe rthan next week like I'd planned.

I was asked to give a little explanation, by a lot of people, so I will. This is in an alternate dimension. The stunning spell hit Harry instead of the cat, so he never stumbled into the shinobi lands. HOWEVER, because of space time shit that I don't think about to hard, when Shurachi of the other world was fatally wounded, and his soul was was leaving his body, 11 year old Harry was also fatally wounded by a spell Voldy cast through Quirrel. Harry's soul latched onto Shurachi's and downloaded his memories, then Harry was saved by Dumbledore.

That is why he has Shurachi's memories. I can't tell you what happened to shurachi, because that would ruin some of the plot, but know that the prequel starts to play a bigger part once we get into Harry's fifth year or so. Explanations and such on how what happened was possible also are given around that time. And yes, Naru, Kiba, and all the others WILL be a part of this, just not for a bit. Harry has to be established first after all.

Also, please start giving me ideas of who you want Harry to be paired with. I'm still undecided on that so maybe your votes/explanations as to why can sway me to your favored pairing!

Taku


	4. Chapter 3

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** Shut up.

**Note:** I posted an ANBU!Naruto fic recently, if anyone is interested in checking it out. It was a reward for Karasu Kagami-chan that I took forever in writing. It won't slow down updates on this one because I now have up to the seventh chapter written. Voting is closed on what animal Harry has as an Inuzuka bonded. Also, because I know some of you will bother me about it, I use the spelling from the manga that I have as far as rank and such goes in the shinobi world. Thats why I don't write Jounin or Chuunin. I use the "short hand" for it that actually comes from the way it's written in Hiragana.

When written in Hiragana, it's actually spelled jyo-u-ni-n. Though it is pronounced Jounin.

* * *

Harry spent the next few days in a foul mood. Anyone who approached him was chewed out so thoroughly that they wondered if Snape had died and Harry was somehow channeling him.

Because of this, it was understandable that everyone who had signed up for the dueling club was desperately hoping they wouldn't be pitted against the Boy-Who-Lived. Fortunately for them, Draco Malfoy was chosen to fight him.

"I heard your little project was caught by Slytherin's monster," Draco sneered. Green eyes narrowed on him and the pair bowed to one another.

Settling into a ready position more common to the Hyuuga fighting style than the Inuzuka one he'd been practicing, Harry waited for the countdown to finish.

"Good thing he was, or I was going to take him out myself!"

Harry snarled and darted forward, his hand lashing out to push against Malfoy's shoulder and knock it loose from it's socket. Malfoy cried out, but Harry didn't stop. He dropped so his hands and one foot were braced against the platform, then kicked out with the other.

Malfoy's whine stopped abruptly as his jaw was kicked shut and he flew back, falling off the edge. "You couldn't take out a snake if it were dead, let alone a person," Harry snarled.

The room was silent, both adults shocked at the physical end to the duel. Neither had expected such a thing to happen, especially not between those two.

Snape's face, which had been getting progressively whiter, suddenly turned red. He whirled around, turning

furious eyes on Harry. "Potter! What was that?! I said duel, not brawl like some muggle in a back alley!"

Cool green eyes turned on Snape and the professor had to work not to flinch back at the cold fury in those

eyes. "You only said we were to duel, not that we had to do so with our magic. Dueling is disarming your

opponent and making sure he can't get back up to attack you."

A loud wail from Malfoy snapped everyone out of their silence and the room suddenly erupted in whispers.

Snape threw him one more furious look before dropping off the platform to help Malfoy. Lockhart grinned a

little shakily and reached out to throw his arm over Harry's shoulder.

The Gryffindor shrugged it off and hopped from the platform himself. He'd barely taken two steps when his rivals angry voice shouted out.

"Serpensortia!"

Automatic reaction had Harry sidestepping the ropes that came at him from behind. Only, he noticed when they'd passed him that it wasn't rope, but a long snake. It's angry hissing filled his ears, sounding almost like words.

That wasn't what concerned him though. What caused a pinch of fear to rush through his veins was the direction of the snakes path. Instead of wrapping around Harry's neck, it was now coiled about Dean Thomas' shoulders; the black boy looked petrified.

No one moved, all of them to wary of being bitten to try and lend a hand.

"_I will kill you for disturbing my nest…_"

It was words that the beast was speaking! Perhaps it was one of the summoned snakes that Orochimaru had used?

"_Wait, leave him be. He was not the one that summoned you._"

Gleaming yellow eyes turned on him and Harry fought to keep his lip from curling in a snarl. He kind of wanted to grab the reptile in his teeth and shake it until it stopped moving.

"_You who speaks, why should I not kill all of these creatures?_" The snake asked, lowering it's head closer to Dean's frantically pulsing artery.

"_Because they will kill you in retaliation. I could simply take you from here and release you into the forest, or even try to send you back to your nest._"

It seemed to regard him for a moment before stretching its wedge shaped head towards Harry's outstretched arm. Gently sliding up the appendage, then settling a little more loosely over the Gryffindor's shoulders than it had with Dean, the snake hissed out a command to go before it killed them all.

Harry stifled a laugh at it's arrogance, green eyes taking in Dean's shivering form. "Seamus."

The Irish boy didn't need anymore prompting, his arms immediately sliding around Dean's shoulders. With the black boy's head buried in Seamus' neck, Harry was able to walk past them. Seamus eyed the reptile wearily, but he didn't bring attention to how close it was lest Dean panic.

"Potter! Where do you think you're going?" Harry tilted his head to look over his shoulder at the sneering potions master.

He took in the paler than normal skin, the tight line of his lips, and smiled. "I'm disposing of the snake that Malfoy so carelessly picked up Professor. It can hardly stay in a school of _children_ now can it?" He was out the door before Snape could pick his jaw up from the floor.

That evening, after Hermione lectured him on how dangerous it had been for him to mess with a snake, and Ron accused him of hiding the fact that he was a parse tongue, Harry found himself in the dorm alone. He agitatedly removed his robes and shirt, leaving him in just the uniform pants intending to do some stretches before he turned in early.

It was not to be though, as slim arms wound around his stomach and a head pressed itself between his shoulders. Harry twitched, suppressing the reaction of violence that was so natural to him now.

"Thank you." The voice was quiet, tainted with an Irish lilt.

Another body came up to him, this time wrapping around his front and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for saving me. I'm terrified of snakes."

Harry regarded Dean in surprise. "You're welcome." He finally mumbled, feeling heat flood his cheeks. It had been a long time since he'd been held like this, not since before his death as Shurachi.

They held him for several long minutes, the slight shaking that had taken over both boys slowing into nothing, and then separated to climb into their own beds. Harry glanced at the clock and decided he didn't have enough time to stretch before Ron came up.

Changing into pajama pants himself, the last of the Potter line settled in for bed. It was difficult to sleep without Collins small body pressed against him, as it had been since the boy was petrified. He did sleep however, and his dreams were filled with joyfully barking dogs and the laughter of his pups.

* * *

So how was it? There hasn't really been any voting on pairings yet. Maybe I should make suggestions? Haku is out, sorry guys. It would ruin my plot if he got together with Haku. Our favorite Ice-user isn't alone though, he has his lover so don't worry. Its fine if you vote for a Harry Potter or a Naruto character. Harry is the same age as Shurachi, so a bit of time travel was involved. This makes a little more sense once the Hidden Countries start to become involved so he likely wouldn't be with one of Naruto's generation. Also, he wouldn't be with Orochi cause he doesn't like being molested any more than Sasuke. XDDD

Taku


	5. Chapter 4

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** Don't even ask.

**Note:** Here it is! I have up to chapter 11 written. Also, HarryZabuza, while an option, isn't automatically the pairing. Zabuza is just the Naruto Character that features prominently in the story. Feel free to vote for Naruto Characters and Harry Potter characters, though it's unlikely he would date Naruto's generation. He's the same age as Shurachi after all.

* * *

Over the next few weeks leading into Christmas, there were several more cases of petrification. Justin Finch-Fletchly, Nearly Headless Nick, and a Slytherin third year that was practicing the bubble head charm had all fallen victim.

On Christmas morning Harry woke to a pile of presents on the end of his bed. He happily set about opening them, feeling a grin spread over his face when the present from Dennis turned out to be a book on Goblins. It looked well read and a small note of apology told Harry who, exactly, had been fondling his Christmas present.

The good mood he was in was dampened by the presents all marked for Collin Creevey that were mixed in with his. Obviously the owls had decided that he was the best person to make sure the other boy got them.

He'd been roped into using polyjuice potion to sneak into the Slytherin common room and interrogate Malfoy. He kind of wishes he'd let himself be sorted into the house, if only for the obscenely comfortable chairs. Gryffindor tower had a nice couch and few over stuffed arm chairs, but none of them came close to the feeling of floating that sitting on the Slytherin couch brought.

Hermione was laid up in the Hospital Wing because she'd used cat hairs and Harry found himself curious about becoming an animagus again because of it. He wondered if he would be a Cerberus again, or if he was different enough now that his animal had changed.

Those plans were quickly forgotten, as were many other things, in face of the Valentines Day Horror. With dwarves running about half naked and terrible poetry being read out, Harry almost missed the line of spiders fleeing the school, into the forest.

He didn't have time to investigate it, as another of the little menaces was heading his way. To escape the utter insanity of Valentines day, he hid out with Collin in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey frowned at him, but because she'd placed wards to keep out the dwarves and Harry wasn't making any noise himself, she let him stay.

When the snow had melted, and Harry had heard the voice in the walls several more times, the line of spiders caught his attention again. It wasn't nearly as big as it had been in February. Despite this, he could still easily follow it under his cloak.

Dean and Seamus had watched him leave, but neither had made a move to stop him and he wasn't going to worry about Hermione or Ron until they found out he'd gone off without them.

He kind of wished he hadn't, though, when he discovered where all the spiders were fleeing to.

"Fresh meat?"

"Food…"

"So hungry, going to eat little man!"

"Hagrid, he sends us lunch?"

The hissing clicks of the giant spiders around him let Harry know that the cloak did not, under any circumstances, hide him from them. So he pulled it off and tucked it into the small satchel he'd brought with himself.

"Why are the spiders leaving Hogwarts?" He called out with false bravado. His training hadn't prepared him to fight off giant, sentient, spiders. He'd been focusing on getting his body into shape for fighting people, not animals. Plus, he was certain that they were venomous and he hadn't brought anything even remotely like an antidote with him.

"He asks why? Why should we tell? We're going to eat you soon." This voice had a feminine tang to it.

Harry shivered, feeling the fear that was so foreign to him as Shurachi flood his mind. "Why not, if I'm to be dead soon anyway?"

Tittering in trees. They were amused with him. "We tell. It is Lord of Snakes. He eats us, we run."

Lord of snakes? Harry couldn't think of anything that would be the lord of snakes. At least, nothing that would enjoy eating spiders. Lots of things that spiders would enjoy eating though. Succulent Gryffindor flesh came to mind.

"Thank you, but I don't think it would be wise for me to linger." Harry murmured quietly, slowly inching out of the web filled clearing.

Rustling in the funnel like webbing to his right drew cautious green eyes. "You, Hagrid has brought you here before." This time the voice was old and the spider who used it was twice the size of any of the others.

An even larger female, or he assumed it was a female from the egg sack strapped to her abdomen, crawled out after him. "Even so," she said "we can not let you leave. It is rare that something so large wanders this deep into our territory. My children must eat."

This seemed to be the cue that the other spiders were waiting for as they all rushed forward. Harry cursed and whirled around, barely ducking under one of them in time to avoid being snatched up. He hurried through the forest, ignoring the copious amounts of webbing that covered his body in favor of killing the occasional small spider that came with it.

When the trees began to thin he pushed a burst of chakra laced magic into his legs, boosting his speed enough to avoid one final lunge from the spiders behind him. They hissed angrily after him, but didn't dare leave the cover of the trees. They knew that the only reason they lived was because the wizards were unaware of their large numbers.

Harry didn't slow until he was safely tucked away in an empty room off the entrance hall. There, he slouched over a table, breathing heavily and gripping the front of his shirt. He'd been terrified. His knowledge of superiority over these wizards had lulled him into complacency.

Looking back, he could see how he'd ignored training in favor of sleep, food, and other such pursuits. He didn't have any weapons on him except his wand, and it wasn't like he could perform any of the deadly spells he knew with it yet.

He hadn't even given himself a means of escape, or thought about one, if the place that the spiders were going was dangerous to him. He'd acted like one of these spoiled civilian children.

Something twitched on his back and Harry felt a surge of panic. Had he brought one of the foul creatures with him? Quickly shucking off his robes, and taking most of the webbing with them, Harry leaped back from the cloth and pointed his wand at it.

It twitched, a hairy leg poking out of it. There was something different about this leg though. Fluid glistened on it, making it look soft. Then the whole body stumbled out, dragging the remains of an egg sack with it.

Harry cautiously took a step forward, his hand palming the only kunai he'd been able to find during the summer. It was poor quality, but if he could maybe collect some of this deadly spider's poison it would be worth damaging it.

The beast, noticing him, darted forward. Its hunger was obvious and Harry warily jumped out of its range. "Nothing for it now." He mumbled, and threw the kunai. It embedded itself in the middle of the spiders abdomen, trapping the beast and damaging its vital organs.

Green eyes watched the creature struggle and cry out piteously, not moving forward and ruthlessly squashing the welling of pity he felt for it. Newly hatched and it was suffering a terrible death. "At least its better than being eaten." Harry murmured to himself, watching its dying struggles until it stopped moving.

He used a cutting hex to break a leg off of one of the chairs and then poked the spider with it a few times. When the creature didn't so much as twitch Harry stabbed the abdomen with the wood and jerked his kunai out.

It was tedious work to carefully cut out the venom sacks and he had to take several breaks in order to get his roiling stomach to calm down. It was one thing to know theory and an entirely different one to use it in real life.

The venom sacks were carefully wrapped with his shredded robes, then stored in the reinforced pocket that he usually kept ink and quills in. If someone knocked into him he didn't want to fragile membrane to break and leak toxic liquid down his leg.

Arriving in his room, Harry hid the venom sacks away in his trunk, changed his clothes, and headed down to lunch. He wasn't gone to long and with any luck his friend wouldn't ask him where he'd been. If Seamus pulled some webbing out of his hair and tossed him a strange look, well, he pretended not to notice.

* * *

Please review and let me know what you thought!

Taku


	6. Chapter 5

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you're funny.

**Note:** So it's a day late, but only because I wanted to post it on "I-don't-have-a-significant-other" day. 8D

**EDIT:** Several people have mentioned to me via review that Ginny's name is actually Ginerva, not Virginia. Because of the historical connection of Ginerva, which is a modern form of Guenevere, many fanfiction authors use Ginerva. Her true name, however, is Virginia according to JK Rowling. She was named after one to England's Queens and I believe that Virginia fits better in the Weasley family naming habits than the "traditional" Ginerva. Fred, George, Ron, Charlie, etc. are all more common names, more modern names. This also fits in with the argument that the Weasley's are blood traitors since they refuse to give their children "traditional" names. The only one with a more "pureblood" name is Percy, who is a bit of a ponce, and I believe he's named after Dumbledore anyway.

* * *

They managed to go nearly a full month before anything else happened. Harry had taken to spending more time with Dean and Seamus, who weren't nearly as nosy as Ron and Hermione, but he still spent time with his other friends as well.

It was while he was wandering the halls with Ron that they learned of Ginny being taken into the chamber. Immediately, they set out to find Hermione. If anyone had an idea of what to do, it would be her.

Unfortunately, when they ran into Professor McGonagall, they learned that Hermione had been petrified nearly an hour ago.

"I'm terribly sorry boys. The Mandrake drought should be done soon though, so she'll be good as new in a few days," the head of Gryffindor tried to console.

Harry, using the knowledge to his advantage, pushed past her and Ron and took off for their dorm room. He ignored the people calling after him, instead closing the curtains around his bed once he was on it. "I hope this works."

Searching his memories of Shurachi's life, he found the spell he was looking for. "Perlustro (means to examine), entrance to where Ginny Weasley is." Harry quickly used a recording spell to repeat certain phrases if anyone tried to bother him and hurried in the direction of his magic under his invisibility cloak.

He darted around other Gryffindors that were pouring in following the announcement to gather in the common rooms. Waited for a group of worried first years, a group that should have had Collin in it, and then followed the thin thread of magic.

Down and down and down he went, stopping to keep out of the way of frantic students and more frantic teachers. Harry paused outside of a girls bathroom on the second floor, frowning at the puddle of water in front of it, but continued down until he was outside.

Once inside the forest, Harry pulled the cloak off and ran in the direction of his magic. It stopped at a moss covered hill, only a hole about the size of a fish bowl indicating that it might be hollow. "Here? Is this the entrance?" His magic seemed to sparkle, as if reprimanding him for doubting it.

Harry nodded and pulled out his wand again, using it to send a mild blasting curse, the only one his developing magic could handle, at the hole. The hill immediately collapsed.

"Shit." Forming a few hand seals, Harry pressed his hands to the collapsed earth. " Doton: Doryou Dango no Jutsu!" The dirt groaned as it was slowly pulled into the shape of a giant dumpling. Harry panted at the force he had to use, gritting his teeth as more chakra than he really had to spare was pulled from him to power the jutsu.

Thankfully, it finished it's purpose and sat, leaving just enough of the entrance uncovered for Harry to squeeze through. Inside was a thin tunnel crossed with spindly roots and abandoned spider webs.

"It is rather creepy isn't it? Well, I suppose I'll just have to follow it through." Harry started walking, hesitating as he came across a pipe entrance and following that when a distant noise caught his ear.

Harry wondered why Ginny would have come down here. He didn't think any of the student would have been able to get the jump on her and it was obvious that the monster hadn't done it. It seemed to prefer petrifying people.

All his questions came to a halt when something crunched under his foot. There were dead animal bones, lots of them. He grimaced when he realized that some of them were much to large to have come from rats or birds.

The spiders had said that it was a Lord of Snakes. It ate large animals, large spiders, but why would just leave the bones behind? Was it a large snake, one much bigger than even the troll he was staring at the skull of?

Quieter than before, Harry crept forward. He had a few hastily conjured needles hidden in his clothes and the only kunai he'd managed to find in Knockturn Alley held out in front of him. It wasn't very good quality, but it was better than only relying on his wand.

Stepping through a doorway that was partially hidden behind a huge statue, Harry peered around it's robes. Ginny was laying in some water, looking incredibly pale. Her chest was rising in shallow, quick motions so he knew she wasn't dead yet. The most interesting part of the picture, however, was the slightly translucent young man kneeling over her.

His mouth was moving, but Harry didn't understand what it was he was saying. The noise didn't reach far enough and his lip reading abilities didn't seem to be helping him.

"_I smell him, the intruder._" The hissing voice caused a shiver to snake up Harry's spine.

"_Where is he?_" The voice was smooth, almost like oil. Harry carefully stepped back, the thing that had spoken to remain silent. The acromantula said this thing ate them, and they were at least twice as large as he was.

"Who are you?" Harry started at the voice so close to him, and turned to look at the man who'd spoken.

Green eyes stared into warm brown, took in the pleasant smile. Disturbingly, it reminded him of Kabuto. "I'm Harry…Harry Evans." Mentally cursing himself for not thinking to hide his identity better, Harry took a nervous step back. The snake was coiling behind this man. "Who are you?"

The man's eyes crinkled in amusement and Harry noticed that he looked a lot less transparent than before. "My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, little mudblood."

Harry felt his heart speed up, but he let a shy smile take his face. Tom Marvolo Riddle, He remembered that name from his time as Shurachi. This was Voldemort, a younger version surely, but still the Dark Lord. "Could you help me Tom, I'm a little lost. I was trying to get out of the forest when I fell down a hole and ended up here."

The snake hissed in discontent, and Harry carefully kept his eyes from looking at it. If he pretended not to notice the beast, then Voldemort might lead him to an exit.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Harry, not when you've obviously seen something you shouldn't have." A wand was raised and Harry, acting on instinct, slashed out with his kunai. Tom screamed as his hand was removed entirely, blood dribbling sluggishly from the wound and looking more like ink than anything.

He didn't have time to think about that, however, as the huge snake was lunging for him now. Harry quickly jumped out of the way, cursing his low chakra reserves. He couldn't use any techniques that could help him, and he doubted he had enough magical stamina to use to many big spells.

Eyes! Harry jerked his head around, looking at the creatures neck to predict its movements and avoid being killed. He remembered what this thing was now, a basilisk. He'd read about them on the train at the beginning of the year.

He regretted not watching the whole body immediately as the snakes tail whipped him across the room and into one of the pillars. Blood trickled from his mouth, bubbling as he breathed out painfully.

Trying to regain his wits, Harry didn't notice the snake coming towards him. When its fangs pierced his body, he screamed. It was excruciatingly painful, nearly seven holes making a neat line when the beast pulled away with a scream. He didn't notice, the lethal dose of venom taking almost immediate effect.

Tom cursed the bird which was attacking his basilisk, throwing spells at it and only managing to damage his snake further. Harry looked around dazedly, noticing Tom's still dripping stump and the damaged book that was laying next to Ginny.

Something clicked in his mind, the twelve year old gladly slipping back and letting a much older thought process take control. He followed its whispered instructions, dragging himself over to the diary. Ginny's chest had stopped moving,

Raising the kunai that was still covered in the inky blood, Harry stabbed it into the diary. Tom's scream of pain drew Harry's blurry eyes. A light was shining through the older boys body.

Another stab, and another, then his arm was moving on it's own to decimate the diary. Tom was writhing on the ground now, his constant screams ringing in Harry's ears. The Gryffindor coughed, his blood splashing onto the book mixed ominously with a slimy yellow substance. Immediately, the cover began to melt, the hissing sound of acid silencing Tom's wails.

Harry rolled himself onto his back and stared up at the ceiling through cracked glasses. The bird, having successfully driven the snake away for now, moved to Harry. He cried out weakly as it landed on his injured chest, the little bit of chakra that had managed to give him time by burning the poison giving out.

He coughed again and more blood flew from his lips. A nearly hysterical screech sounded from the bird. Harry winced at the pitch, but a more soothing trill followed it and he found himself relaxing.

A warmth settled beside his shoulder, the weight leaving his chest, and Harry felt something wet dripping on his face. Keeping his eyes closed, he wondered if spirits could cry. When a clawed foot that definitely wasn't serpentine in origin pressed on his busted ribs again Harry gasped, then choked on the flood of liquid that entered his mouth.

He swallowed, seeing no other real option, then gasped again at the soothing burn that spread through his body. He could hear his ribs cracking, snapping back into place, could taste the blood in his mouth slowly seeping into the soft tissue.

Then the weight on his chest, which didn't hurt anymore, was gone and Harry could hear Ginny gasping beside him. He pushed himself up, looking over at the girl to find her looking much healthier, if still unconscious.

An ominous slithering made him spin around, wincing when the room spun with him. Something heavy landed in his lap and he glanced up to see a fiery red bird hovering over him. A glance down reveal a cane. Tugging experimentally on the wolf head handle, he smiled when a thin blade slid out. "A shikomizue…" Harry murmured, admiring the steels strength.

He didn't have long to look at it, as the warning screech of the bird alerted him to the snakes lunging. He rolled to the side, watching the creature just miss Ginny's still passed out form. Deliberately, to draw it to him, Harry made loud running noises.

It darted forward again, it's mouth gaping, and Harry used the sheathed blade to launch himself into the air. It slid out of its casing smoothly, hardly making any noise, and when he landed on the beasts head steel sunk deep into its flesh with little trouble.

The basilisk screamed, a horrid noise that made his ears ring, and thrashed wildly. Harry held tight to his sword, not wanting to injured himself by getting thrown to the floor or smashed against something. Its death throws only lasted a few seconds before its twitching became the remnants of nerve ending firing.

Fire suddenly sprang up around him, and Harry panicked briefly. When he realized that it wasn't burning him up, but rather moving him through the castle, he calmed down. When the fire vanished, both Ginny and he were on the floor of the headmasters office and the sword had been left behind. Harry pushed himself up, dusting his clothes off, and looked around.

The entire Weasley family was sitting in front of the headmasters desk, Molly with tears trailing down her cheeks. Percy was being held by an older looking redhead and Arthur was holding his wife. The twins were sitting wedged in the same chair, holding hands and Ron looked pale sitting in the red chair with what Harry assumed was his oldest brother behind him.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling at him, a small smile on the old mans face. "It appears there was no need to fear after all. Harry has brought young Virginia back home." Ginny was picked up by her father, cuddling into the familiar warmth.

Harry endured hugs, handshakes, and watery smiles for nearly an hour before he managed to excuse himself. "I think I should probably see Madame Pomfrey."

"Of course dear, thank you so much." Molly sniffled and Harry smiled awkwardly at her.

In the Hospital Wing, Harry stared at Collin until Madame Pomfrey huffed beside him. "I see that you were injured rather severely, but someone healed you quick enough that it didn't do to much damage. Care to explain Mr. Potter?"

Harry frowned, picking at a newly formed scar on his cheek. "I think it was Fawkes. He splashed some kind of liquid on me, and down my throat."

The woman's eyes widened "You mean a phoenix gave you his tears?" Harry shrugged and the woman smiled widely. "Well, there's nothing wrong with you so you're free to go. Make sure you don't come back here, unless you're visiting your friends, alright?"

Nodding, Harry hopped off the bed and moved to Hermione's bedside. He gently touched her cheek, then moved on to Collin. "How long until the Mandrake potion is ready Madame Pomfrey?"

She hummed thoughtfully, eyeing a calendar on the wall. "They just finished maturing today, so in about a week. It takes a little while for the potion to finish and there is only so much pre-brewing you can do with this one."

Gently pushing Collins hair out of his face, Harry smiled. "You'll be up just in time for finals. Though I doubt you'll have to participate."

Two days before the petrified victims were set to be cured, Harry made his way back into the chamber. He used a couple of light cleaning spells to clear away the webbing, and cautiously looked around the corner when he got to the chamber.

The large snakes body was where he'd left it, the scales of its head a little scorched. Wedged into it's skull was the blade, and Harry picked up the decorated scabbard before climbing up to retrieve the blade. It was the perfect length to look like a simple cane.

Casting as many preservation spells as he knew, Harry hoped the venom would keep until he could find out how to harvest it. A basilisk as old as this one looked to be was extremely rare, and highly venomous. He could get some good quality fighting outfits out of its hide and definitely enough venom to kill a small army.

Heading back up for dinner, Harry excitedly thought of everything he could begin to do with such a valuable resource.

The day the potion was administered, Harry was waiting. Ron had immediately gone to Hermione, who was quick to wrap herself around the red head. Collin sat, staring into nothing for a moment before his face screwed up and he launched himself at Harry, who had been sitting on the end of the hospital bed.

"I was so scared, but I thought that if I got a picture of it then maybe that would help the professors!" Harry petted the mousy brown hair, pressing Collin's face into his shoulder.

"It's alright now Collin, I took care of it. You don't have to worry." He soothed and the boy nodded, still crying into his shoulder. When he'd calmed down, Harry gently pushed him back to look in his eyes. "I have some things for you in the tower. Christmas and birthday presents."

A watery smile was his reward and Harry returned it. They both seemed to notice the silence in the room and Harry turned a fierce glare on the gaping children and parents. "There's nothing to watch, so stop staring." He snapped, relaxing a little when Collin hugged him from behind.

Everyone turned back to what they were doing, though Harry noticed that looks were thrown their way more than once. When he caught Hermione's eye, he smiled at her. She smiled back, but went back to Ron and her parents.

The doors to the infirmary opened and Harry glanced up, quirking a small grin when he saw Dennis running toward them at full tilt. Quickly untangling himself from Collin, Harry caught Dennis when the other boy launched into the air.

"It wouldn't be good for your brother if he was tackled so soon after recovering." Harry chastised, then turned his green eyes to the man who had walked behind Dennis. The Creevey father smiled a little awkwardly at Harry, obviously remembering the boys disapproval from before.

"Hello, my name is Rick Creevey. Thank you for looking after my son, again. He told Dennis how you were walking him to classes and meals until you were injured and had to stay in the hospital wing." Harry stared at the out stretched hand for several long seconds before reaching out to shake it.

He waited until they'd separated their hands before introducing himself. "I'm Harry Potter, though obviously you already knew that." He eyed the man, who'd flushed at Harry's tone. "I'd like to help Collin catch up over the summer, if you don't mind."

Rick perked up "Of course you can, that would be very helpful. I wasn't sure how I was going to find a wizarding tutor for him."

The black haired boy nodded, then turned to smile at Collin and Dennis. "I'm going to go and gather the presents I've been looking after for you." The pair nodded, beaming at him and looking even more identical than before. Collin hadn't aged while petrified, and so he and his brother looked the same age now.

Gathering together the presents, Harry smiled a little to himself. He had somewhere to visit over the summer, plans to expand his chakra and magic reserves, and plans to start building up his influence. For the first time since waking up in the hospital wing last year, he felt like he would be able to live his proper life again.

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So let me know what you think! This is about when I had to change my plans a little since I'd already written it one way. I hope it makes some sense!

Taku


	7. Chapter 6

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

**Note:** A short one, so the next chapter will be coming shortly. For those of you wondering, you'll get to find out what Harry's bonded is next chapter, I do believe. Also, I'm going to keep Virginia since it was pointed out to me that JKR likes to mess up her own cannon. Changing Dumbles age, making him gay for publicity, that sort of thing. Also, I despise Lockhart if you couldn't tell.

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Waving goodbye to the Creevey family as they dropped him off in front of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry waited until they'd vanished into traffic before heading inside. A little chakra to his arm made carrying his heavy school trunk easier.

Harry traveled briskly through Diagon Alley, pulling his hood up on the way, and then slipped down Knockturn Alley. The hags and homeless hawking their wares were ignored, and sometimes forcibly pushed away, as he made his way to the tavern he'd stayed at before.

The man behind the bar glanced up, recognized the trunk, and smiled. "I see you're back. How was your trip?" Harry grunted in response and the man smiled wickedly at him. "That good was it? Well, I suppose you'll want a room?"

Green eyes narrowed and the man held up his hands with a mocking chuckle. "I saved one just for you. Though your neighbors are going to be a pair of vampires and a banshee." Harry nodded, once, and accepted his key. The man cleared his throat and Harry rolled his eyes, but handed over the rather large sack of gold. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Settling into the room, Harry smiled. This was the closest thing to a home he really had, the school not really counting, he'd stayed in this very room last summer too. Flashes of his home in Konoha, of his laughing pups and smiling lover made him frown a little. He pushed them away, uneasy with the thought of his real home.

Until he could protect himself properly he couldn't go back. There were to many people that would recognize him as the head of the Inuzuka Clan, even in a child's body. He wasn't even sure he'd be welcomed back, not with how his thoughts and strengths had changed. He wasn't really an Inuzuka anymore.

Tugging on a thicker, more protection heavy cloak, Harry let those thoughts fall away from his mind and grabbed his new cane to go down to get some dinner. The man behind the bar, Mark, choked when he saw Harry. The boy grinned at him, amused despite his mood.

"I hope you don't mind my changes?" Several people eyed him warily. The basilisk had left something of itself in him when he'd survived and they could probably smell that. He'd found, after getting a paper cut, that his blood burned most things like acid and his eyes just that much greener; that much more unnerving.

Mark eyed the changes cautiously, dishing up the roast and potatoes that were dinner for the night. "It isn't going to mean you need special food is it?"

Laughing quietly into his meal, Harry shook his head. "No, its just because of an accident in potions. It doesn't change anything but my eyes and features a little."

There was still tension in the room, but the noise level started to pick up again. The talking silenced, however, when a rather flamboyantly dressed man stepped into the pub. The blonds lip was curled in disgust, but he made a straight line for Harry.

"Mr. Potter, you're a rather hard kid to find." A disarming smile that made Harry mentally wince. "Whatever are you doing in this place Mr. Potter?"

Green eyes narrowed and Harry twitched his fingers. "How did you find me Professor? And what makes you think it's safe to bandy my name about?"

The older wizard's smiled faltered a little and he looked around as if just realizing where he was. "I just wanted to hear how you saved young Ginerva,"

"Virginia," Harry interrupted. Lockhart flushed.

"Virginia. Dumbledore wasn't very forthcoming with the information and no one else seemed to know."

Face scrunching unhappily, Lockhart visibly stopped himself from lashing out. Harry didn't give him a chance to open his mouth again. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything until you tell me how you found me."

Twitching a little, Lockhart cleared his throat. "Okay, I understand that. We famous wizards can't be to careful." He smiled again, this time looking much more forced than before. "I had a tracking charm put on you, just so I could be sure you made it home safe as your professor."

"I see. Well, Professor, I don't really want to talk about it here. If you would come up to my room?" Harry glanced at Mark and led the man upstairs. He took notice of the pair of vampires that followed them up, but he didn't comment. He'd dealt with vampires before, as Shurachi, and he was fairly certain that he could take these two even with his average sized chakra stores.

They entered his room and Harry offered Lockhart a chair. "You said you had a charm placed on me? Would you mind removing it now that you know where I am? I plan to stay here the whole summer."

Lockhart shifted uneasily. "Ah, why don't I show you how to do it? Its better for you to learn yourself, incase someone less savory than myself tries the same thing?" Harry agreed and they spent several moments going over how it was done.

When he felt the foreign magic lift, Harry smiled sharply at Lockhart. "Thank you. I suppose you've earned a quick death." The blond stood, confusion in his face. "You won't be my first, or my last, but I think you've probably been my stupidest of this world. Thank you for teaching me that spell."

Lockhart turned to run, but Harry was quicker. A lunge caught the man and some pressure applied to his slightly dull kunai had blood spraying outward. The short scream of fear Lockhart released was followed quickly by a thud and Harry snorted as he thought of what everyone downstairs must think. He was under no illusion that they'd ignored everything.

Quickly moving to strip his sheets, Harry lamented their loss. They really were nice sheets, very comfortable probably expensive despite the questionability of the establishment that owned them.

Turning to the body, which was pale except for the black lines where the venom left on the kunai had entered the bloodstream, he prepared to throw his sheet over it. The door opened before he could however, and his shikomizue was immediately on one of the vampires. The acromantula venom couldn't kill them, but that one dropped in pain anyway.

The other one held up his hands to show he didn't want to fight and Harry held his sword at the ready rather than immediately attack this time. "We just wanted to offer our services. We can dispose of the body, discreetly, for a small fee and you don't have to dirty your sheet."

"I was going to take it out and leave it in a forest, but I see that others are interested in this body." The vampire frowned, but didn't deny his interest. "Why don't you tell me why you want it and I'll consider giving it to you."

Curling his lip unhappily, the vampire looked down at his partner. "This swine has claimed to kill one of my enemies. He never would have managed such a thing and I intend to raise him again to find out who really did it."

Harry eyed the body, the vampire writhing on his floor, and the vampire standing in his doorway. It wasn't like there were any witnesses that the wizards would listen to and nothing on the body would give away Harry's involvement. "You can take it."

He watched the vampire gather up the body and leave, not sparing it's companion a glance. Harry dragged the thrashing creature into the hallway so it wasn't in his room. Then he left her there, going back down to the bar to finish his dinner.

"There isn't a mess is there?" Mark asked, a note of respect in his voice. Harry shrugged, his mouth full of potato. He knew a few tricks to get blood out of a carpet and it would be cheaper to just clean it himself rather than have the service charged to his tab.

When Harry returned to his room the female vampire was gone, so he assumed she'd recovered or been kidnapped. Doing a few exercises, more than he usually did before bed, Harry settled in for sleep. He would be looking for a good training area tomorrow.

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If the vampire seems familiar (unlikely), thats because it's the same one Harry stabbed when he was Shura. Let me know what you think of this one!

Taku


	8. Chapter 7

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** Hmmmmm, nope.

**Note:** "A slightly longer chapter. Sorry for any typos, wax got spilled on my keyboard and it isn't all cleaned up yet. D8  


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Several days later, Harry was playing a game of cards with the group of werewolves that frequented the bar. After getting used to his rather intense gaze, and the scent of diluted silver coming from his cane, they'd become terribly friendly.

He supposed it made sense, as he was the Boy-Who-Lived and they'd been in the bar when Lockhart had so carelessly announced as much. If they could get him to protect them, then their lives would probably become much better than they were. He could also tell they were cheating, because their noses twitched whenever he moved a card.

Inuzuka played cards much the same way, putting scent markers on them to faint for humans to notice.

Harry tossed a card down, then groaned as the wolf besides him grinned and snatched it up. "How can you win every time?" One of the others groaned, watching the graying wolf gather up the little trinkets they'd bet. Harry wasn't sad to see his spare socks go. Now he had a reason to go buy new ones.

They all turned to look when the bar door flew open, a frantic boy pushing himself under their table and tugging their legs to hide him. Harry blinked, glanced at the others, then began to pass out cards for a new round.

They'd only gotten to the third person out of seven when the door smashed open and a red faced blond man came stomping in. Harry twitched his hood up, hiding his face from view. Obviously this was one of the wealthier patrons of the shady shops of the alley. They hardly ever came into the bar unless they wanted to rent a room for their rented woman.

"Where is he?!" The man's snarl wasn't half as impressive as Snape's when Harry breathed to loud in his class.

No one spoke, merely staring at the man in various forms of shock or annoyance. "Well? I'll bring the ministry down on this establishment if he isn't given up."

Harry stood, snatching up his cane as he went and making sure the boy was still hidden by the others' legs. He bent over his cane, like he was an old man, and hobbled his way over to the blond. Once he was in front of him he motioned for the man to lean forward.

Wrinkling his nose, the man did so. Harry slipped his cane up and whacked his temple, then smashed the heel of his hand into the mans nose. When the blond stumbled back Harry again used his cane, this time to trip him. On his back dazed from the sudden assault, the man had no time to react as a sharp blade was pressed to his neck.

"Whatever you came barging in here about, we don't appreciate being threatened. Your kind is barely tolerated, and you make me wonder why we bother." Harry sneered, his hair falling in such a way as to hide his scar. "You will leave and bother the other fine shops in this alley, or you'll be drained of your blood. Do you understand?"

The man swallowed thickly. "I didn't mean offense Master Vampire, but a werewolf boy has stolen my purse and run in here."

Harry's lip curled back, exposing marginally sharper canines than a normal human should have. "Boy." There was a scrambling noise and the child was shoved forward. He turned to get back under the table, but the legs that had previously hidden him now barred his entrance.

He skulked over to Harry when the Gryffindor made an impatient noise. "Give this man back his purse." There was some rummaging in tatty clothes and a money sack was tossed on the man's chest. "There, your money was returned to you. Now leave."

The blond scrambled, in a very dignified manner, off the floor and, with a last sneer directed at the room as a whole, fled. Harry waited a moment to make sure he wasn't coming back, then sheathed his blade with a wide grin.

"Master Vampire?" He laughed loudly, using his cane for support to keep from falling over. "Oh wow, I've never been mistaken for a vampire before."

A vampire at the bar smirked at him, an obscenely long fang peaking out of his lips. "Indeed. Only an uneducated fool would mistake a mere child for a vampire."

Harry rolled his eyes, used to the man's attitude by now. "Whatever Lukus. Can we get a round at my table Mark? And maybe some juice for this kid?" The boy beside him gasped and Harry turned to look at him.

Tiny bone structure, huge amber eyes, and a pitiful state of dirtiness. He couldn't be much older than ten, maybe eleven. Just getting to Hogwarts age.

"Cute." Harry mumbled, thinking back to when Kiba had been a toddler and hadn't learned to swear from his sister yet.

Red cheeks puffed in a pout and Harry dragged the kid over to sit with him and the other werewolves. Mark levitated their drinks over, and Harry made sure that the boy got the apple juice instead of the butterbeer Mark had started stocking especially for Harry.

They picked up their card game again, redealing as everyone had seen Harry's hand when he put it down. "So what's your name?"

Setting his almost entirely empty apple juice down, the boy stared at the building pile of cards. "Mikael. Mama said it was the name of an angel."

Harry smiled over at him briefly before snatching a card up and laying his hand down triumphantly. There were groans and Harry collected the pot. It had mostly candy and buttons in it so he set it in front of Mikael.

The boy happily sucked on the candies while they started another round. "How old are you Mikael, and where are you parents?"

He seemed to shrink into Harry's side at the older male's question. "Mama and Papa are allergic to dog." He mumbled and silence fell on the table as they all silently cursed the narrow minded parents.

Finishing the round with the old man winning again, Harry begged out and tugged the boy over to the bar. "What's for dinner Mark? I'm hungry and I'm sure Mikael could stand to eat something as well."

A plate was set down, quickly followed by another as Mark smirked at Harry. Harry rolled his eyes in return, the mans perverted humor being denied.

Mikael ate like his food was going to be taken from him and Harry managed a slightly slower pace, not wanting to choke on his corned beef and cabbage. When they were done Harry coaxed Mikael into his room, promising the wolf a bath and some clean clothes.

He showered instead, not wanting to sit in the alley filth. Harry's clothes were almost two sizes to big for him and hung off his shoulders rather cutely. Harry stifled a laugh at the site and tucked the werewolf into his bed. It was still light out, but Mikael had been yawning since they'd finished eating.

"Why are you being so nice?" Harry glanced over his shoulder at the young boy in his bed.

Smiling reassuringly, Harry tapped his wand against the lamp and all the lights went out. Even the light filtering in from the dirty window vanished. "Because you deserve it Mikael. Now go to sleep. You can ask more questions in the morning."

There was some shifting, then a quiet sigh and even breathing to indicate rest. Harry quietly settled on the couch.

Early the next morning, Harry slipped out of the room and ate a quick breakfast. "Mark, make sure that Mikael knows he can order anything he'd like on me and that he's welcome to use my room and clothes. He just has to stay out of my trunk."

The bartender nodded, looking a little blurry eyed but alert enough to know what Harry had asked. The bar didn't officially open until around six in the afternoon, but people who rented rooms got breakfast and lunch included in their fees.

Harry knocked on the frame of the Creevey's open front door. "Hello?" Rushing feet, an excited squeal, and Harry had just enough time to brace himself before a body was smashing into his.

"You came!" Dennis' excited voice filled the house and Collin soon joined his brother in hugging Harry.

Laughing, Harry hugged them both back. "Yes, yes, I came. You've been alright since school let out? Didn't cause to much trouble did you?" The pair pouted at him before Dennis grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house.

"We're all ready for you to teach us! Collin said that it will pretty much be the entire first year, is it okay if I stay so I'm ahead this year?" Harry nodded, a wide grin on his face as he was pushed into a chair at the kitchen table. All of Collin's first year books were on the table, along with some pencils and notebooks.

They settled into an easy pattern of problem solving, explanation, and light conversation. Harry pretended to not notice the man watching them from the kitchen door, content to interact with the younger males. He was glad that Rick Creevey did seem to have some protective instincts, to be making sure Harry wasn't a threat to his boys.

There was brief pause as Collin looked up what lacewing flies were used for in a companion potions book Harry had picked up specifically for the study sessions.

"Hey, isn't today your birthday Harry?" Dennis asked, looking up from the paper he'd been taking notes on.

Harry blinked at the boy, wondering which book he'd read that would have let him know that. "So it is." Harry agreed, then turned his attention back to his own summer work.

Neither Creevey was content with that answer, so Collin cleared his throat. "Why didn't you say something? I'm sure you could have been doing something besides tutoring me on your birthday." He looked a little upset, as if he were sure he'd ruined some big plan of Harry's.

Smiling into his homework, Harry carefully scratched the last of his potions essay onto the parchment and then moved it away to let it dry. "If I didn't want to be here, I most certainly wouldn't have offered to come today."

Rick stepped into the kitchen, making sure he was loud enough to announce his presence. "But it _is_ your birthday. Let us take you out to dinner to celebrate at least."

Green eyes looked over the man speculatively. This was the father of his new-ish friends. He was usually to busy for his children, but he did seem to want to be a part of their lives. Harry could respect that, it had been difficult to balance taking care of Kiba and being a full time shinobi as Shurachi.

"Alright. I'm not picky, so I don't mind wherever you want to go." He shrugged a little, then a menacing filled his eyes. "_After_ we've finished our work. There's no need to fall behind because of my birthday."

All three Creeveys quickly agreed, sensing that it would be in their best interest to do so.

They ended up going to an Italian restaurant, which was new for Harry. He'd never had Italian food before, except for the spaghetti Petunia sometimes had him make. He ended up eating half of Dennis' plate when the boy discovered that he didn't like zucchini, none of the Creeveys did and Harry didn't believe in wasting food.

When they dropped him off at the Leaky Cauldron, he waved after them until he couldn't find their car anymore and then entered the busy pub. A quick flick of his wrist had a black cloak materializing around his shoulders and Harry quickly pulled the hood up. No reason to get caught and ruin his birthday after all.

Stepping into his room, Harry covered his mouth to hold in his laughter. Mikael was sitting on the bed, surrounded by owls and various packages and letters. They were preening his hair and picking at his to large clothes and he look to frightened to dislodge them.

Only Hedwig sat off to the side, waiting patiently for him to remove the package she carried.

"I don't know why they're here! They just flew in the window when I opened it to let some fresh air in, I swear!"

Harry waved off his panicked excuses, taking the packages from the birds that hadn't already dropped them and shooing them out the window. "Don't worry about it, it's my birthday."

Curious, Mikael watched as Harry opened all his gifts. He handed the various candies over to the werewolf, not really one for sweets. The boy happily ate them.

When he got to the thicker than usual Hogwarts letter Harry frowned. He read through his supplies list, skimmed the letter that welcomed him back, then scowled as he realized the permission form would require he visit his relatives.

Sensing the unhappy mood his friend was in, Mikael frowned down at the pile of candy in his lap. He glanced from it to a scowling Harry, hummed a little to catch the older boy's attention, then held out a chocolate frog shyly.

Green eyes blinked at it, then crinkled up in amusement. "Thank you Mikael." Harry reached out and took the frog, quickly unwrapping it and biting off it's head before it could try to escape. Mikael giggled at the almost vicious actions and repeated them, squeaking when the headless frog body wiggled some.

"Have you eaten yet?" Harry asked after nearly ten minutes of silently making a shopping list. Mikael looked guiltily at the bed.

"I did. The man downstairs said that I could have whatever I wanted. I can pay you back!" He looked up suddenly, a slightly panicked look on his face.

Harry stared at him blankly for moment. "How can you pay me back Mikael?" He finally asked cautiously, not at all sure he wanted an answer. The boy pushed the candy aside immediately, biting his lip, and slid forward on the bed.

His hands reached for Harry's pants and the Gryffindor hissed unhappily. Mikael froze, unsure eyes looking up at the older boy. "I don't want that from you." Harry growled and the werewolf pressed himself flat to the bed.

"I don't know how to pay you back with anything else. I have no money and the only things I own are my clothes." Mikael's whisper was almost to low to hear, but Harry did hear it.

"How about you stay with me, and when you are old enough to start properly working you can pay me back for taking care of you," Harry suggested. Mikael looked uneasy, but he nodded. Harry mussed his hair with a small smile. "Don't worry to much about it, I was getting lonely being the only kid here anyway."

That seemed to help some and Mikael easily slipped under the covers when Harry cleared the bed off. Harry settled himself on the couch and flicked his wand, putting the lights out. He'd have to visit the Dursley's tomorrow and a good nights sleep would go a long way to keeping him from killing them.

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Ohohoho, Lucy thought Harry was a vampire! 8D He's not, obviously, but it's amusing anyway.

Taku


	9. Chapter 8

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. I wouldn't be struggling to pay for college if I did.

**Note:** One of Harry's original pups! The Naruto aspect is starting to work it's way into this, though it'll be subtle until around chapter 12-13 when the actual plot of this begins to properly pick up. For those of you who think this is to slow, or I gloss over to much, look at the bottom of the page. Also, if you want to be a little entertained, look at the bottom.

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Harry grimaced, walking up the drive to his old house. Behind him, holding onto his shirt, was Mikael. The werewolf had begged to go with Harry when he'd woken to the older boy getting ready to leave. Harry had agreed, unable to resist the puppy eyes.

So they'd made a slight detour to get Mikael a set of clothes that actually fit. Harry promised they'd go shopping properly once they were done at the Dursley's. A quiet knock on the door was ignored, so Harry pressed the door bell.

His aunt flung the door open, a barely pleasant grimace on her face that quickly turned to a scowl when she saw who was at the door. Instead of closing the door in his face, like Harry had expected, Petunia instead pushed it open wider and stepped aside so he could come in.

Wary, Harry did so. He held tightly to Mikael's wrist to make sure she didn't try anything funny on the poor boy. With how close the werewolf was sticking to him, however, Harry doubted she would have managed even if he hadn't been holding onto Mikael.

"I figured one of you freaks would come, though I didn't think they'd be so careless as to send a child." She sneered and Harry returned the gesture.

Sitting down at the table when she pointed at it, Harry looked around the kitchen. There were baby bottles drying on a rack, several messily folded kitchen towels, and what looked like a milk spill on the counter. He'd never seen it so dirty before.

When his aunt came back from wherever it was she'd vanished to in the house, she was carrying a child with her. It was wailing, loudly, and Harry could smell that it's diaper hadn't been changed in a while from where he sat at the table.

Mikael pressed his nose into Harry's shoulder and breathed through his mouth.

"Here, it's yours. I want nothing to do with your kind." She grimaced again, plopping the child down on the table. It would have fallen back and smacked it's head if Harry hadn't quickly reached out and steadied it.

"What is the meaning of this Aunt?" Harry growled, his eyes narrowing on the woman.

She sniffed, then wrinkled her nose at the smell. "He's one of you freaks, isn't he? We can hardly be expected to care for something so unnatural." The foul woman made it sound as if such a thing should have been obvious. "His name is Jonathan," she said, almost as if it were an after thought.

Harry took a deep breath, then grimaced. God, when had this poor child last been clean? "Get me a diaper Aunt, and some clean clothes for the boy. In fact, anything you bought for him should be packed up so I can take it with me. You'll be reimbursed for the items later in the week."

"Also, I'll be back with some papers for you to sign when I come to give you your money. If this is your son-"

"It's not! Such an abomination would never have come from me! You must have tainted it when you were here!" Petunia interrupted angrily, her hand going to her stomach.

"-then Uncle Vernon will also have to sign a couple papers to give custody over to me." Harry finished through gritted teeth. The woman huffed, but nodded once and moved back into the house to retrieve some clean things for the baby.

Laid back on the table, his wails grew louder and Harry hushed him gently. "There there little one, I know. We'll have you clean and warm soon, I promise," he cooed.

At his side, a hand now holding a bit of Harry's cloak to his nose, Mikael marveled at how gently Harry handled the baby. Having seen how vicious Harry could be at their first meeting, and knowing how nice he could be by his continued care, he was still a little shocked.

Some diaper wipes, a diaper, and clean singlet were thrown down onto the table. Petunia didn't stick around to watch if her nephew knew what he was doing, she left to finish packing the baby things away.

Deftly undoing the snaps at the crotch of the singlet the boy was wearing now, Harry frowned. The fabric was stained and crusty. The removal of the diaper itself had him seething in anger, open sores were infected and filthy. No wonder the child was crying, he had to be in horrible pain.

Gently, to avoid hurting the poor child anymore, Harry cleaned him up. Mikael was crying now, his eyes locked on the infant.

"Mikael, I need you to go start the sink. Make sure it's luke warm water and then stopper it. I can only use water to wash him, because we don't have any safe soap, but it will be better than nothing." Harry murmured, gently rubbing the baby's tummy to try and calm him down. It seemed to be working a little.

Once the water was ready, Harry stood on the kitchen stool to gently wash the baby. He cried at the sensation of water on his sores, but he didn't squirm to much so it wasn't hard to get all the filth off of him.

Using a clean kitchen towel, Harry patted the boy dry. Then, he moved back over to the table and put the clean diaper and singlet on him. By this time the crying had dropped down to sporadic keening and miserable sniffles.

Being careful of his bum, Harry cradled to boy to him and waited for his aunt. She appeared several minutes later and dropped a relatively small sized box in front of Harry. "That's all of it that I'm willing to give to a freak. The crib and such are from my family so you can't have those."

Harry refrained from mentioning that they were his family too and instead dug around the box until he found the baby sling he knew his aunt would have. With the ease of much practice, he adjusted it to his size and slipped the baby inside.

"Mikael, if you could please carry the box." He moved to do so and Petunia zeroed in on him as if she hadn't noticed him before. Her mouth remained in a thin line however, so Harry didn't bother with an explanation.

They left the house, Mikael flinching at how loudly the door slammed. "We'll take the Knight Bus back to the alleys and drop this box off. We'll have to do a little more shopping than I expected since there is now a baby to care for."

Mikael nodded, boarding the bus when it appeared. The conductor gave them a strange look for having a baby, but didn't comment. He did, however, tell the driver to be more careful as there was a child on board.

During the ride, Harry looked through the box. A few worn toys, several singlets, a package of diapers, and the baby bottles. There wasn't any formula, as Petunia had probably stopped giving him proper milk once they'd run out.

In the sling, the whimpering baby suddenly let out a loud wail and Harry grimaced as he realized the poor child would need his diaper clean again soon. Mikael remained quiet, fiddling anxiously with his fingers. Sure, Harry had said they would still go shopping, but would the older boy still want to care for him now that he also had a baby to look after?

What would happen when it came time for his friend to go to Hogwarts? Surely they wouldn't let a baby, let alone a werewolf, in. Would the child be foisted onto him while Harry went to learn about magic? Would he be allowed to stay at the tavern if Harry wasn't there?

The bus came to a stop and Harry pulled his hood up. They entered the Leaky Cauldron and baby Jonathan's wails quieted in fear of the loud pub. Harry rocked him a little, not wanting him to be scared, and quickly made his way into Diagon Alley.

Once safely inside their room, Harry changed Jonathan's diaper. The boy screamed and squirmed like mad atop the bed, making a mess of the sheets, but Harry managed to get him cleaned up and in a clean diaper.

"Can you get me my list Mikael?" The werewolf silently did so, anxiously watching the hiccupping baby on the bed as Harry quickly jotted a couple more things down. "Is there anything in particular you want or need?"

"No, I'm alright." Mikael's voice was subdued and it made Harry pause. Green eyes silently looked over the bowed head, the withdrawn posture, and softened.

"I'm not going to drop you." Mikael's head came up suddenly, wide golden eyes staring at Harry. "Just because I have Jonathan to take care of doesn't mean I'm going to ignore you Mikael. I promised to take care of you, so I will."

"What about Hogwarts?!" The werewolf immediately brought his hands up to cover his mouth after he'd blurted that out.

Harry blinked, shocked for a moment, before laughing. "You'll be coming with me of course. If they don't like it I can always find a tutor and learn outside the school, or look for a school that will accommodate us."

Tears began to fill Mikael's eyes and he moved forward to bury his face in Harry's chest. "I thought you were going to leave the baby with me and go away." He mumbled, his shoulders shaking a little.

Shaking his head, Harry comforted the boy until he'd calmed down. "Better now? Good. You'll want to put a cloak on as it's beginning to get a little chilly in the evenings."

Their shopping trip lasted nearly four hours and it was dark by the time they returned to the tavern. Harry waved off Mark's curious look, trudging up the stairs with Mikael in tow. Their shrunken bags were enlarged and emptied, the items that had been shrunk to fit in them enlarged again to their regular size.

Harry pulled some potion vials out, then ran a shallow bath. He poured the contents of the vials into the water and settled a naked Jonathan in it. The baby scrunched his face up, not liking being given a bath, but the pleasant sensations on his backside kept him from crying.

When the potion laced water turned blue, Harry pulled the baby out and drained the tub. He checked to make sure all the sores were gone and smiled at the blotchy red skin. Nothing was left of the terrible diaper rash.

He rinsed Jonathan off, refilled the tub with warm water, and climbed in himself. The vial he hadn't poured into the water was used to clean Jonathan's hair, being a mild soap formulated specifically for babies. The child fell asleep halfway through the bath.

When Harry came back into the bedroom proper, Mikael was already sitting under the covers on the bed. Harry had bought a book on werewolves when Mikael had asked him to and the boy was reading it. Settling Jonathan into the crib, Harry dug his own book out of the small stack they'd made.

This one was about dimension travel and he'd bought it on a whim. Having gotten Jonathan, albeit at a much younger age than he would have expected, he wondered how hard it would be to return to the elemental countries; if they even existed in this universe.

An hour later, Mikael's soft breathing let Harry know it was time to go to sleep. He had training to figure into his schedule tomorrow, as he'd been neglecting it again lately.

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Okay. I gloss over because I'm trying to cover a large amount of time in only a few chapters. I like to assume you have some idea of what a day at hogwarts would be like, or what was important in Harry Potter (whichever book) that I can mention it and you won't have to worry. If it gets glossed over then it likely wasn't important to the story I'm trying to create. Deal with it.

The "slow" moving along of the plotline. The main focus of this story isn't Voldemort. It isn't even getting back to the hidden countires. Yes, they're important, but right now setting up Harry's power base and his relationships with the characters is more vital. Like I said, his fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years are where things start to pick up. Though, from my current writings, it's actually begining in his third year.

Entertainment:

Story: Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi  
Chapter: 10. Chapter 10

From: Julian Jaimez ()

WTF y is there male on male content that shit is fucked up  
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This was a review for the prequel of this story. Since you didn't sign in I'm answering here, though I doubt you'll read this far if you're so against it. There is Male on Male content because I like it. My readers, for the most part, like it. It isn't as overbearing as other authors make it, so suck it up or go away. Also, what did you think the shounen ai/yaoi warning was refering to? Strange sound FX? Well, at least you had mostly better literacy than the others who shared your opinion.

There was another review, but because this person was expressing a valid opinion I''m not going to bash it. They were a little bit derisive about the fact that Harry was raped in the prequel. I understand that as such things usually annoy me in a story too. He was raped in order to connect and understand Jonathan easier since I wanted the brutality of the Dursley's to come through. The grass nin, which is what you seemed to have the most problem with, were not in between missions. They were hired to kidnap Shurachi, since he's the heir to a well known Konoha clan. They got a little out of hand and raped him, mostly to show that they're lesser people and to give Koishi a chance to show off a bit. It's no different than when Cloud nin tired to kidnap Hinata, though obviously they didn't escape Konoha like the grass nin did.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Taku


	10. Chapter 9

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** Yes, that would be my name right there, on the spine of the book. See? Hey...wait a minute...DAMN YOU ROWLING! I don't look Japanese enough to be the one on the Naruto manga spines either!

**Note:** Sorry for the long wait. My computer got a virus again. I'm beginning to think people get on it when I'm not home. Anyway, I hope you all had a good St. Patty's day! I certainly did, though I can't remember half of it. Isn't that how you tell you had a good one though? 8D Double update to make up for the long wait!

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It had been several days since he'd acquired Jonathan and Harry was sitting at the bar with Mikael, eating dinner. Jonathan was sitting in Harry's lap, happily sucking on a bottle. The bar was particularly empty tonight, which Harry found odd but not to worrisome.

He'd be getting the required paperwork in the mail tomorrow so he could go and officially adopt Jonathan. He planned to slip his Hogwarts permission form into the pile as well. Hopefully his relatives would be to stupid to carefully read through all the parchment pages before signing them.

He turned his head to frown questioningly at Mikael when the boy dropped his fork. His eyes widening in concern when he saw Mikael bent over, clutching his stomach.

"Mikael? What's wrong, are you okay?" He reached out a hand to touch the other boy, jerking it back when something moved under his skin. "Mikael?!"

"S-sorry. Forgot…"he gasped, falling from his chair to curl up on the floor.

Behind the counter, Mark cursed. "Shit, tonight's a full moon!" Alarm sang through Harry's vein and he quickly handed Jonathan over to the bar tender, who squawked in shock at being handed a baby. Dropping to the floor beside Mikael, Harry grabbed his shoulder.

This time he left it there, even as Mikael's skin shifted disgustingly under his palm. "Mikael, is there any way you can delay it?" The boy shook his head, keening in pain now.

People were already vacating the room, realizing what was happening from the conversation. Harry turned to look at Mark, but the man shook his head. He had no idea what to do. The bar wasn't exactly a secure place and if Mikael got out he was likely to bite someone.

"It's alright Mikael, it'll be okay. Just let it happen then, don't fight it." Harry rubbed the agonized boy's back comfortingly, flinching when the skin and shirt tore to reveal wet fur. It dried quickly and sharp snapping noises marked the breaking of bones.

Mikael's face was twisted in a scream, but no sound came out. Harry shuddered and searched through his mind to find a solution. He wasn't an animagus, though now he was considering learning to be one again. An animal form would have been helpful at the moment.

He didn't have the Inuzuka veterinary drugs to subdue him with. All the spells he knew wouldn't work on a werewolf. His jutsu was designed to kill, or heal, so they were out. A warning yell had him automatically dodging a swipe from sharp claws.

A wolf the size of Doku when he was a teen snarled at him, obviously considering him more important than the ones behind the bar. Harry was grateful for that because he didn't want to have to kill Mikael. Another lunge and dodge. Harry brought his cane up to whap the canine over the head, but he recovered quickly and barked at him.

Harry blinked, shocked, before an idea struck him. Waiting for the wolf to lunge again, Harry smacked him as hard as he could with his cane, then used his cloak to cover the wolf's head while it was dazed. Locking his legs around it's neck, flinching when fabric teeth put pressure on his side, Harry quickly began to perform hand seals.

The beast squirmed, snarling and scrabbling to try and get Harry off as he quickly finished one set and began another. Distantly, a pain began to form in the pit of his stomach and spread outward, encompassing his whole body. The form between his thighs grew weaker and weaker, until he was simply laying there.

When the pain suddenly stopped, Harry breathed out slowly. There was another whine between his legs and Harry understood it to be a request for air. He cautiously removed his legs and when the werewolf didn't try moving tugged the cloak off.

His cane was held defensively, as if he'd unsheathed his sword, but the beast didn't try to attack him. It lay where it was, panting for breath. Carefully, Harry wuffed at it. The werewolf's tail thumped against the ground as it wagged weakly and Harry smiled.

"It's alright now Mark. If you could take Jonathan up to my room, I'll take care of Mikael." Harry murmured, keeping an eye on Mikael in case the jutsu hadn't completely tamed his need to kill. Mark made an unhappy sound, but slipped up the stairs. He didn't want a baby getting hurt.

Mikael whined lowly, shifting his head to better see Harry. The Gryffindor inched forward until he was crouched beside the large dog. Reaching out, he softly ran his fingers through the silky fur on Mikael's neck, then scratched behind his ear.

Tail thumping again, Mikael let out a weak bark that had Harry grinning widely. "So you have your mind now? That's good. What I did was a technique known to very few. I wasn't sure it would work, but I'm glad it did."

A questioning yip as Mikael rolled to a more comfortable position. "No, it won't force you to obey me. You'll be able to think like this though, and I can understand you in this form now." The hand moved to rub an exposed belly.

Mark reappeared at the bottom of the steps. His eyes widened when he caught sight of the werewolf being petted by Harry. "What did you do?"

It was immediate, Mikael's reaction. He was on his feet and growling within seconds. He'd made sure to position his body between Mark and Harry, but the man held up his hands and took a step back.

Harry reached forward to grab the scruff of Mikael's neck and tug him back. "Hush Mikael, it's just Mark. He was worried." An unhappy huff was his answer, but the growling stopped and the beast lay back down.

Eyeing the man, Harry smiled a little. "It's a family secret, but he won't hurt you now. Is Jonathan sleeping?" Mark frowned at the obvious subject change, but nodded.

"Would you be able to do this sort of thing for anyone? Or is it just for very young werewolves?" Mark asked, moving behind the bar slowly to start cleaning up. He wouldn't be getting anymore customers tonight.

Thoughtfully, Harry stared at Mikael. The wolf was wagging his tail again, obviously please about the attention being paid to his ears. "I'm pretty sure I could do it for anyone, but it's a little complicated and involves a life long bond of sorts."

Mark paused in his cleaning, murky green eyes suddenly fixed on Harry. "Like a marriage?"

"It can be," Harry agreed. "It doesn't have to be though. The bond simply pulls on the regular human's mind and essence to influence the human half of a werewolf. It also tends to give the full human more lupine features and behaviors."

Mikael wuffed questioningly, his head tilting.

"And the ability to understand a werewolf in their transformed state. It used to be used with dogs to create a tighter working relationship between them and their masters, but both parties decide what sort of relationship they're going to have." Harry said smiling a little. It felt good to have the empty spot in his mind where Doku and Kinobu had been occupied.

"So you just decided to try it out on a werewolf to see if it would work?" Mark asked skeptically, directing half full pints to dump into the sink.

Harry shook his head. "It was accidentally used on an animagus, so I knew it wouldn't have any detrimental effects on Mikael. We'll be a little more perceptive of each other's moods and needs, but it won't influence us to do anything with that knowledge."

The bartender nodded "Alright. You might want to head up to Jonathan soon though, he was fussing so he probably won't be asleep long. I left a warm bottle for you."

A grateful smile was shot at the older man, then Harry patted Mikael's head. "You do what Mark tells you, even if it's to let him lock you up in a bathroom. You're still contagious if you bite someone and sometimes a canine's instincts can overpower a human mind."

Waiting until he got an agreeing bark, Harry waved at Mark and made his way upstairs. Like Mark had said, Jonathan was stirring, his little face scrunched up unhappily. The wizard scooped the child up with a little hum and gently rocked him until he settled again.

He'd have to send off a note explaining his situation to McGonagall soon. She was his head of house and would probably know if any special accommodations could be made for him. He doubted his dorm mates would want a baby waking them up at all hours of the night after all.

The papers came the next day, but Harry didn't get a chance to take them to the Dursley's. Mark and, more importantly, Mikael accosted him the minute he set foot downstairs the next morning. Both of them were looking rather anxious, though Harry was sure that it was for completely different reasons.

"Harry! I really didn't bite you last night?" Mikael asked, rushing forward to sniff at his neck, then at Jonathan's hair for any wolf scent. There was a little on Harry, but it wasn't much so he relaxed.

"No, you didn't bite me. Both of us are fine this morning. Are you feeling alright though? Nothing to out of sorts?" Harry reached out with his free hand, Jonathan balancing sleepily on his hip, and brushed some hair out of Mikael's face.

He brightened, a smile lighting up Mikael's face. "I'm perfectly fine! It didn't hurt when I changed back this morning at all. I don't think I've felt so good after a full moon since Mama and Papa kicked me out!"

Since he didn't seem to notice that he'd mentioned his parents, Harry didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled at the younger boy and turned a questioning look on Mark. The man smiled, obviously deciding his question wasn't important, and moved behind the bar to set out the breakfast foods.

A couple more people came downstairs, mostly werewolf customers that had used the warded rooms Mark rented out, and they began to eat. An older woman, looking like she'd been chewed on all night by a rabid cat, eyed Harry's little group curiously.

She motioned Mark over and talk with him quietly, but Harry couldn't hear what they were saying so he didn't worry about it. There was a little more shopping to do today, then he'd have to drop by the Dursley's again. After that he'd have to explain some things to Mikael about himself and what he'd done last night.

He wasn't looking forward to trying to squeeze in some training after all of that.

As it turned out, Harry didn't get a chance to go visit the Dursley's for nearly two more weeks. The couple of times he'd dropped by, they'd been on vacation to some tropical place. The neighbors didn't know exactly where, just that it was nice.

When he showed up at the their house for the fifth time, he was pleasantly surprised to see the family car in the drive. Mikael clutched nervously to the back of his shirt, obviously remembering Harry's Aunt's disdain.

Jonathan was blissfully ignorant of where he was. Content to chew on the fistful of black hair. It only reached to Harry's shoulders, but he'd not bothered to tie it back and the baby was positioned rather high so Harry's smallish arms could support him.

Dudley opened the door when Harry knocked, a cross look on his face. It quickly morphed to something wonder and fear when he realized who was at the door. "C-come in. Mum said that you would probably be showing up soon."

The large boy fidgeted as Harry stepped inside, Mikael close on his heals. When the door was closed, Dudley led them into the kitchen. Petunia's lip curled when she saw them.

"What do you want now boy?" Vernon's angry growl drew sharp green eyes, gold staying locked on Petunia in case she tried anything.

"I'm here with the custody papers, _Uncle_." A bit of shifting had the stack pulled from his messenger bag. "Once you sign those Jonathan will no longer be your problem. Also, I won't be giving you the money for his things until they're signed, all of them."

Both adults narrowed their eyes at him, but Petunia came over to quickly scan the parchment paper. She pursed her lips "It says here that you will also be emancipated." Her clipped tones held something of a question, though it was well disguised behind her disgust.

Harry smiled a bit mockingly. "I can't assume custody without being considered an adult by our laws. Until I turn seventeen, or until you give consent for me to live under my own power, you'll be stuck with the possibility of both of us freaks being thrust onto you again."

A pen was quickly snatched up and names were scribbled on the indicated lines. When each document was finished being signed, it vanished in a puff of smoke. Vernon had spluttered when it first happened, but five pages later he simply twitched.

The last page was his Hogwarts permission form, so he quickly snatched that up once they'd signed it. Technically, since they'd emancipated him, he didn't need it. But he wanted to make sure all his bases were covered as far as those visits into the town went.

"Is there anything we forgot last time we were here?" The question was directed at Petunia, who hesitated. Harry raised an eyebrow and she hurried from the room.

When she returned, a manila folder was held tightly in her hand. "The boy's birth certificate, identification, and hospital records." Petunia said stiffly, handing the folder over. Harry tucked it into his messenger bag with a nod.

"Good by Aunt, Uncle. Come on Mikael." The werewolf, stepped closer to him, wary eyes watching the adult Dursleys until they'd left the room.

The pair, plus baby Jonathan, moved to slip down a small alley to summon the Knight Bus when footsteps made them pause. Dudley came running round the corner, panting heavily. "Wait! If," he paused to gasp for breath, bent double against a garden wall. "If I wanted to contact you, about Jonathan, how would I do that?"

Harry eyed his cousin warily, but the bigger boy did seem genuinely interested in his little brother. "There is a pub called The Leaky Cauldron in London. It's hard to see if you aren't one of my kind, but so long as you know to look for it you should be able to get in. Just tell the man behind the bar that you need to owl something."

Green eyes turned to look at Mikael. "Dig out three galleons please Mikael." He did so, handing them over to Dudley reluctantly. "Use these to pay for the owl. You might have to get the man to let you into the alley, but there should be a post office in plain view once you're through."

"Harry…" Mikael murmured, inching closer to the older boy. "we should get going. You said we had an appointment with a healer today and it's almost time."

Smiling down at the werewolf, Harry nodded. "Thank you for reminding me Mikael. I'll send you some pictures of Jonathan later, alright Dudley?"

The fat boy nodded, staring sadly at the little baby who was staring back without any comprehension of just who Dudley was at all. "Bye Harry, bye Jonathan." Mikael frowned at being excluded, but he supposed that the boy hadn't been introduced to him. He wasn't even sure he'd want to be introduced given the chance either.

After buying a pair of new glasses, which made seeing much easier than his old ones had, they went to Graceful Alley to eat lunch at a Greek restaurant. They happily tucked into their food, Mikael humming at the flavor while Harry smiled indulgently and fed Jonathan his bottle.

"What's this? Potter, you got a girl knocked up at your age?" A rather shocked voice sounded behind them.

Mikael tensed up, his fork dipping away from his mouth. Jonathan spat his bottle out, clearly unhappy, and Harry twisted in his seat to look darkly at whoever it was that was interrupting his meal. Theodore Nott, realizing the hostility, raised his hands to show he wasn't a threat.

"I was just curious, the baby does look rather like you." Harry glanced down at the baby with a small frown. He didn't see a resemblance.

"I-it's his cousin." Mikael spoke up hesitantly, darting a worried glance at Harry.

The Potter frowned a little, slipping the bottle back in the baby's mouth. "Yes, but he's registered as my son with the Ministry now. What do you want Nott?"

Not bothering to ask, Theodore pulled a chair up and sat at their table. "I'm just curious as to how you have a kid. You're barely older than me so you can't possibly be allowed to have one that isn't biologically yours."

Frown deepening, Harry ate a bite of his noodle dish before answering. "My Aunt was not equipped to deal with a magical child, I agreed to look after him and she signed custody over to me. I'm the last of the Potter line, so it wasn't very hard to get permission to take up the title of Lord." He shrugged a little, eating some more of his food.

Theodore nodded, knowing that you had to be emancipated to take up Lordship of a line. Jonathan spat his bottle out again, his face scrunching in displeasure. Harry sighed "Alright, I get it. You're done with your bottle. How about something else?"

A little bit of digging and a jar of muggle baby food was produced. Jonathan seemed to quiet when he saw it and eagerly cleaned the rubber covered spoon when Harry stuck it in his mouth, smeared with mashed carrot. Theodore watched, shocked at how very domestic his classmate seemed outside of school.

It took a quiet growl from Mikael to pull him from his stupor. He immediately turned wary eyes on the unassuming boy who he hadn't really noticed was sitting with Harry. "Is there anything else you wanted?" His teeth were slightly sharper than a humans and Theodore's eyes darted up to meet gold.

"No. I'll just be going now, shall I?" He smiled a little crookedly at Mikael, standing to leave. Harry barely flicked a glance at him, content to feed his new son. The rest of the day went smoothly, with no surprises.

McGonagall's letter came in right before bed time.

Mr. Potter,

Thank you for alerting me to your change in situation. While we can't give you your own rooms, Professor Flitwick has agreed to teach you a localized silencing charm that will let you block sound in a specific area of a room. You should be able to use this if your dorm mates complain.  
As for the young man you mentioned, he was on the list to attend as a child. If you can promise that he'll work with the school to keep the other children safe then he may attend. Headmaster Dumbledore would like to meet with you both after the welcoming feast.  
On a more personal note, congratulations. I know that you are very young to be taking care of a child, so please feel free to ask myself or any of the professors for help. Good luck Mr. Potter, I'll see you on the first.

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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Again, sorry about the long wait. I hope you guys liked this one! Also, the voting for a pairing is still open so you can do that. Please review, even if it's just to tell me how much you hate it!

Taku


	11. Chapter 10

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** Did they really say I'm not allowed to claim ownership? THEY DID?!?! Well damn.

**Note:** Second half of the double back to Hogwarts and such now. Some of these characters bashed me upside the head. Like later, when one of the lesser used Weasley's learns Harry's secret, yeah. That one used a mallet and left me with a migraine for a week!  


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"Harry!" The Gryffindor turned his head, then stopped to wait as Mikael stumbled up to him. Jonathan was pulling on the boy's hair, screeching angrily. "Please, he won't stop. OW!"

Harry let go of the trolley that had their luggage and Hedwig's cage on it to reach over and untangle Jonathan's fingers. "Jonathan, you shouldn't pull Mikael's hair like that. It hurts!" He tugged lightly on a lock of babies own hair to demonstrate.

Brown eyes watered up, but instead of wailing like Mikael feared, Jonathan simply buried his face in Harry's neck. The older boy was glad he'd tied his hair back this time, as it would have become covered in snot and god knew what else otherwise.

"You push the trolley Mikael, I'll take care of Jonathan. Remember, you can't stop when you get to the barrier, just keep going." The werewolf smiled gratefully at Harry and followed the older boy onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Artfully, Harry avoided drawing the attention of the Weasleys, not really wanting to deal with Molly or Ginny. He didn't want them to scare Jonathan with their exuberance while thanking him; again.

A smaller hand slipped into his as he was watching Mikael hand their baggage over to a large man. He'd never actually used the luggage compartment before, so it was nice to know he wouldn't have to lug the large trunk around.

Green eyes turned down to see who had accosted his arm. Dennis Creevey beamed up at him, Collin coming around with their trolley. Harry couldn't see their father on the platform, but that wasn't a surprise. "Hello Dennis, Collin. How are you?"

They both smiled at him and Collin came over to stand by his brother. "We're fine! How is Jonathan?" The older Creevey reached out to tickle under the baby's chin. Jonathan frowned petulantly, hiding his face in Harry's neck again.

"Tired and cranky. He was beating up poor Mikael earlier." Harry chuckled as the werewolf came back over, his tongue sticking out at the oldest boy. "Anyway, we better find a compartment. Did your father drop you off?"

Dennis nodded, yawning cutely as he held onto Harry's arm. They boarded the first car, then made their way back until they'd found a relatively empty one. There was just an older man sleeping in the corner. Harry motioned for them to be quiet as they all settled on the bench opposite the man.

When the train began moving and the man showed no signs of waking up, Dennis braved the silence. "Who is he?"

Green eyes assessed the man dispassionately. "His name is Remus Lupin. It's likely he'll be a professor this year."

Beside Harry, Mikael was warily eyeing the man up. He could smell werewolf, and he guessed Harry probably could as well, and it was making him uncomfortable. The only other wolves, besides the ones in the bar, that he'd interacted with had been very violent toward him.

A hand on his arm helped to relax him. Harry knew and could handle it, or he hoped he could handle it. He'd certainly handled that wizard rather well when they'd first met, and he'd faced Mikael's beast without problem. A full grown werewolf wasn't an arrogant human or a scared puppy though.

The lights flickered, prompting the boys to huddle closer to Harry. Jonathan squirmed uneasily in his sleep in Harry's arms. "Hush. You're all fine." The older boy admonished, slipping Jonathan into Collin's arms. "I'll just lock the door so none of the Slytherins try to get in here in the dark."

The door slid open right as he got to it and three bodies stumbled in. Harry had his wand trained on them immediately.

"Harry! It's us, calm down." Seamus' voice was quiet, almost as if he were afraid to get louder than a whisper in the dark.

"We ran into Neville in the hall and were talking when the lights went out. Yours was the only compartment unlocked." Dean added, his wand tip lighting up so the three boys could find a place to sit. They peered curiously at the grouping of younger boys on the other side of the compartment, but didn't question them.

Neville cleared his throat, inching nervously away from the man in the corner. "Do you know what's going on?"

Dennis shook his head, his face paling as the temperature in the compartment dropped dramatically. In his brother's lap, Jonathan opened his mouth and began to wail. Harry cursed darkly, flicking his wand to lock the door tightly and moving to pick Jonathan up.

"Hush little one, tiny cub. Calm down. I know, it's cold. Shhhhh." He swayed and bounced a little, hoping to calm the baby.

Dean's wand went out and a voice spoke up gruffly from the darkness. "It's dementors. They bring up a persons worst memories and suck the happiness from you. Sit as far from the door as you can with the baby."

Bristling a little, Harry listened to what Remus said and settled as far from the door as he could get. The door rattled as the younger boys closed ranks around him, Harry's year mates sitting on the outer edges of the pile.

It slid open with a bang and Remus was quickly standing in front of them. "Go. None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our robes."

The creature looked as if it would come forward, a rattling breath making the horrifying sounds of battle begin to gain strength in Harry's mind. "I said go!"

Whatever it was, it didn't listen. This time it did float forward, a hand stretching towards the boys piled on the floor. "Expecto Patronum!"

Harry hissed as a bright light erupted from Remus' wand. It rushed toward the dementor in the doorway, driving it back. The beast gave an awful screech and fled, the light chasing it down the hall. In his arms, Jonathan had settled again.

"Are you boys alright?" The concern in the man's voice was obvious. He was rummaging around his coat pockets, looking fro something, so Harry remained silent. The others seemed to take their cue from him and also refrained from answering.

They didn't have to, however, because it was obvious in their pale faces and shaking bodies that they were unsettled at the least. Remus smiled at them, obviously nervous himself, and held out a chunk of chocolate to Harry.

He guessed, rightly, that the others wouldn't accept anything from him if Harry didn't. "Here, it's chocolate. It will help you all feel better after the dementor."

Lips pursed, Harry reached out a shaky hand and accepted the candy. He sniffed it lightly, then broke it up into smaller chunks and handed them out to everyone. They gratefully nibbled on the sweet, though Harry had pointedly made sure everyone had some but himself.

In his lap, Jonathan looked up at him. Harry smiled down at the baby and accepted the piece of chocolate Remus was holding out for him. Instead of eating it, he asked Mikael to hand him the small pan and bottle of milk in Jonathan's baby bag.

A hovering charm, followed quickly by a heating charm, and Harry had some warm chocolate milk. Jonathan happily drank it as Remus watched helplessly. He didn't have anymore chocolate, but the boy he'd wanted to help had given his away to the other children.

"Thank you Professor Lupin." Harry said, looking up from the bottle sucking baby. "I wouldn't have known how to drive them away, or to give everyone chocolate." A general protest arose that put some red in Harry's cheeks.

"No, I really wouldn't have. Be grateful to the professor rather than trying to make me feel better," he scolded. The Creevey brothers frowned petulantly at him, Neville stared down at his lap, Seamus and Dean threw grateful smiles at Remus, and Mikael nodded.

The younger werewolf cuddled further into Harry's side, then spoke up. "Thank you Professor, for helping us. I…that thing made me feel awful."

Golden eyes sparked, but Remus merely smiled at them. "Of course I would help you, you'll soon be my students. Plus, no one should have to endure dementors, especially not children."

Seamus puffed up his chest, obviously taking offence to being called a child. The effects of the dementors was still fresh, however, so he didn't launch the protest that his year mates were expecting. Beside him, Dean smiled a little and patted his knee in silent comfort.

Lights flickering back on heralded the restarting of the train. They all settled on the benches, Remus discreetly watching Harry's interactions with the various boys around him and Harry amusedly glancing at the man every now and then.

A little while after everything calmed down, Neville left to return to his own compartment. Seamus and Dean started playing some sort of card game with a muggle pack of cards. Harry pulled a book out of his pocket, enlarging it from it's shrunken size with a murmured spell.

On either side of him, Collin and Dennis rested, a hand on baby Jonathan's stomach or chest each. The baby didn't seem to mind, content to sip his bottle. On the floor, between Harry's slightly parted legs, Mikael sat. He had his arms wrapped around the leg closest to Remus and his wide eyes hadn't left the older werewolf once.

It was a little unnerving, but Remus wasn't sure if the other boys knew about the younger werewolf's condition and he didn't want to be the one who gave it away. They'd politely introduced themselves to him before Neville had left, but he was learning much more about them by observing their group dynamic.

Obviously, Harry was the leader of this unusual pack. All of the younger boys had looked to him to protect them first and the three older ones had seemed relieved when they realized whose compartment they'd stumbled into.

Unlike the younger boys, however, they didn't seem dependant on Harry to care for them. They'd had their wands out, futile as it may have been, and they'd surrounded the weaker of their party to better protect them.

He wasn't sure why a baby was on the Hogwarts Express, but he figured Dumbledore would explain that to the staff.

When they arrived at Hogsmead, Remus made sure to stick close to the group, though two of them had to separate as they were first years. The young werewolf, Mikael if he remembered right, was much more reluctant to leave Harry's sight than Dennis.

"Potter!" Harry paused, Seamus and Dean also stopping so that the umbrella they were holding could cover the baby. Collin had been holding onto the back of Harry's robes, so he scooted under the umbrella with the older boys, his own umbrella sitting at a slight angle to keep them from crashing together.

Remus stood a little ways away, narrowing his eyes when he noticed the Slytherin tie around the new boy's neck.

"I couldn't find you on the train. I see you brought your son with you." The boy tucked his hands into his sleeves, a charm directing the water around his form. Remus was a little embarrassed, he'd forgotten that he could use a charm just as well as an umbrella. He was soaked through.

It was shocking to hear the child was Harry's son, but the resemblance between them was there. The boy was mostly his mother, but there were some traits only Harry could have passed on. Like small nose.

"Yes, I couldn't rightly leave him behind. How was your summer Nott?" The boys began to move again and Nott fell into step with them easily. Remus could see other Slytherins looking at them oddly, so he was fairly sure that this wasn't normal behavior for the third years.

"It was alright. My father insisted I take language lessons, to improve my casting. We also visited the Zabini main house in Italy for Blaise's birthday. He went ahead to save me a spot at our table, but maybe next time I'll introduce you." Nott stopped when they reached the carriages and waved. "See you at the castle." He climbed into one with several Slytherin second years in it while the gaggle of Gryffindors climbed into an empty one.

Remus quickly caught the last one.

Harry chuckled quietly to himself as Remus' eyes finally left them. "What a strange man." He murmured, smoothing Jonathan's hair down. The baby cooed at him and he smiled brightly back. "You're going to have fun this year, aren't you? Of course you are."

He tickled the child's belly, relaxing a little at the innocent laughter. Sitting across from him, Dean and Seamus smiled. "He'll be in our dorm, yeah?" Harry nodded, shifting so Jonathan could sit more comfortably.

"You let us know if you need any help. We might not know much about babies, but we can make sure this one is alright if you ever need a break." Dean reached across the carriage to catch one of Jonathan's waving hands and shook it. "Pleased to meet you little one, I'm Uncle Dean."

White teeth flashed brightly in a dark face and Harry returned the smile. Jonathan giggled, shaking his arm again.

Seamus reached out and did the same when Dean sat back. "Uncle Seamus kid, nice to meet'cha."

Beside Harry, Collin giggled. "This is Jonathan Potter. He came to visit my brother, Dennis, and I a lot over the summer since Harry was my tutor. I'm Collin by the way. I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself before I was petrified last year."

Both older boys happily introduced themselves to Collin, then struck up a conversation about Quidditch. They were appalled when they learned that Collin, despite being so close to Harry, knew nothing about the game.

Harry was content to listen to them, injecting his own explanations into the conversation when Collin became to confused.

Dennis and Mikael both made it into Gryffindor, Mikael confiding that he'd had to threaten the hat to place him with Harry since it said he was much more suited for Hufflepuff.

The meeting with Dumbledore went how Harry expected it too. The old man asking how they'd been bonded, what the nature of the bond was, and if either of them would like him to try and dissolve it when he learned that it happened during the full moon. Harry politely declined, prompting Mikael to also decline, and used Jonathan as an excuse to leave earlier than both of them were sure the Headmaster would have wanted.

After settling Jonathan in his crib and settling into be himself, Harry heard his curtains open. Three smaller bodies climbed onto his bed and he chuckled tiredly. "Only tonight. You all need to learn how to sleep in your own beds after this." There was silence, but that didn't bother Harry. He knew they would do as he said.

Warm, surrounded by bodies as he was, Harry listened to make sure Jonathan hadn't woken up, then slipped into sleep himself.

The group of Gryffindors made their way down to Hagrid's Hut after lunch the next day, eager for their first Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry was excited to see Hagrid again, as it had been a while. Not since first year if he remembered right, before he'd gotten memories of his old life. Hopefully the man wouldn't be to cross with him.

He was also eager to introduce Jonathan to the large man. Hagrid was terribly sweet, something Harry thought would be good for the baby since Harry himself was mostly practical.

There was no reason for him to have worried, as Hagrid beamed at him the minute they came into view. " 'ello there 'arry! Alright?"

Harry smiled back, raising one hand up to wave at the half-giant and leaving the other to support Jonathan in his sling. "I'm fine Hagrid. How are you? I'm sorry I haven't been down to visit in a while."

A beefy hand waved the apology away, then clapped his shoulder gently. "S'arlight 'arry. Ya 'ad a bit o' trouble ta look after. An' now I see there's a lil'un as well."

Hagrid held out a large finger to Jonathan, who eyed it curiously from behind his bottle. He squirmed when the half-giant carefully moved some brown hair out of his face, but didn't bother to stop sucking his bottle to complain about it. "In't 'ee cute?"

"I s'pose I should start the class then." He waved the third years over, Harry frowning when he noticed they had it with Slytherin. He hadn't had any trouble so far, but they'd barely been back a day. He really didn't want to have to kill Malfoy for hurting Jonathan.

As Hagrid led them into the forest and began to explain about hippogriffs, green eyes remained on the joking Slytherins. Malfoy had that glint in his eye that meant trouble; Harry didn't want to be blindsided. "Potter."

Glancing away, Harry focused on the pair of Slytherins beside him. "This is Blaise Zabini. Blaise, this is Harry Potter."

The dark skinned boy bowed a little, his arm coming up to cross his chest, palm open and resting on the heart. It meant something along the lines of happiness in a meeting of equals. Harry didn't really remember much from the pureblood etiquette books he'd glanced through that summer.

Harry returned the bow with an inclination of his torso, though his arms remained under Jonathan to keep him from swaying to much.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Potter. Is this your son?" The conversation was obviously polite, but Harry tensed up a little anyway.

There was no reason to worry, however, as a commotion drew everyone's attention immediately after the question. Malfoy had volunteered to bow to a hippogriff first. He'd somehow insulted the beast and it was rearing on it's hind legs.

Harry felt hot chakra surge through him, the result of his sudden adrenaline release, and took a step forward. A deep breath of air was quickly released in a sharp, short bark that caused the creature to veer away from him and miss Malfoy entirely.

It danced back nervously, swiveling it's head in a search for danger. Harry watched it closely, a low rumbling in his chest ready to explode should it try attacking again. Hagrid came forward to calm it before it could.

When everything had settled, and the shaken Malfoy had been ushered to a stump by his friends, Harry turned his attention back on Theodore and Blaise. They were staring at him, obviously still shocked. "Yes. This is Jonathan Potter, my son."

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Please review!

Taku


	12. Chapter 11

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** I own these things about as much as I own Africa. In other words, not at all.

**Note:** Alrighty. Another update! I went through to make my chapters a little more detailed, since several of you wonderful reviewers seemed concerned by how I gloss over things. I hope this is a little more to your expectations. It also has the bonus of lengthening my chapters by about half a page. Hurray! Since no one was really voting for pairings, save the odd and sporadic review every now and again, I'll just go with the one thats been lurking in my mind for the past few chapters. See bottom for details!

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They'd been back for nearly two weeks. Harry had learned the localized silencing charm and applied it to Ron and Neville's beds. Dean and Seamus had declined the offer, saying that they wanted to know if something was wrong with Jonathan. They'd become rather fond of the baby in the short time they'd known him. Harry didn't mind, as this meant they were almost always willing to babysit for him.

Harry was in the chamber of secrets, a plastic gown he'd bought that summer on over some old clothes. He had dragon hide gloves on as well as a facial mask. He'd noticed that his sense of smell was improving and faint lines were beginning to appear on his thighs and arms.

He was sure that they were the physical manifestation of his connection to Mikael. Slowed, but still appearing the same as the red fangs he'd had as an Inuzuka. He'd soaked the cloth in an herb solution to filter out scents better, not wanting to smell what he was doing.

The first cut was difficult, as the hide didn't want to be pierced. His chakra control had improved, however, so he reinforced the steel of the surgically sharp knife and added a cutting edge of chakra to it. After that, the skin separated easily from the muscle.

Some large containers he'd brought with him were quickly filled with the length of basilisk skin, cut into more manageable pieces. It had taken him nearly two hours to skin the whole thing. He couldn't even begin to imagine how long it was going to take to get the rest of it.

Thankfully, he'd already eaten dinner in the Great Hall, so he had all night to finish this and some time tomorrow. He'd chosen a Saturday night to start on piecing down the basilisk.

When he'd carved down to bone, storing those as well, Harry began the more delicate work on the head. Fawkes had ruined the eyes, but they could still be used for a couple corrective potions. The fangs were handled carefully, as he'd learned that they could be used to make weapons of high quality. They were all capable of injecting venom as well, unlike regular snakes.

It wasn't until he got to the rather large venom sacs that Harry became nervous. He knew how excruciating it could be to have even a little bit in your blood. A smaller, even sharper knife was used to cut the sacs out and he gently placed each one into it's own container.

Cushioning charms were liberally cast on these containers to prevent the membranes from breaking. Harry felt relatively sure he was done when it came time for him to go back up for lunch. He cast as many cleaning charms on himself, and the chamber, as he knew.

To make sure there was nothing harmful left over, he used some of the cleaner water that littered the chamber to bath. Another quick charm to get rid of the water on his body, some fresh clothes, and he was ready to face Hogwarts again.

Jonathan was overjoyed to see him. He kicked up a fuss that drew the entire Hall's attention to Harry. He didn't mind though, happy to scoop his son up and blow a raspberry on his cheek. Harry sat between Dean and Mikael, fondly touching the werewolf's shoulder.

"He wasn't any trouble?"

Dean shook his head, smiling widely at Harry. "Jonathan was sweet as sugar. He was a little upset when you weren't there this morning, but Neville cheered him up," he explained, taking a bite of his salad.

Harry turned a surprised look on Neville, who ducked his head and blushed. "Well, thank you for helping them Neville." The Potter smiled widely at his year mate.

"No problem Harry," Neville mumbled.

When lunch was done, Harry made his way onto the grounds. He laid out a blanket for Jonathan to sit on, scattered some toys, and settled down with Mikael by his side to read. The werewolf was gleefully stacking blocks with Jonathan when Theodore and Blaise settled against the tree beside them.

He tensed up, but Harry simply turned the page and continued to read about elemental magic. It seemed almost exactly like jutsu, only more complicated as it required rituals and multiple people to focus the energy.

Someone cleared their throat and Harry peered over his book at the Slytherins. "Malfoy has been spreading rumors about your son."

There was silence, then Harry closed his book and sat it in his lap. "What rumors would those be?" His voice was calmed, but the stirring anger was evident in his eyes.

"That he's a werewolf you happened to stumble across and claim. That he bit you as well." Blaise said calmly, eyeing Harry for a reaction. The one he got puzzled him.

Harry smiled amusedly, his body relaxing. "What is he using to back up this claim?"

Glancing at each other, Blaise nodded and Theodore spoke. "Several people heard you bark at the hippogriff. There have been other, rather canine, behaviors you've been displaying too. Plus, your son looks enough like you to be related, but not enough to be directly from you."

"He's claimed that you fed Jonathan blood through the bottle in one of your classes as well. And that the baby acts like a wolf cub," Blaise added.

Mikael frowned at them, but kept Jonathan distracted. "I assume he's referring to the nuzzling and growling that Jonathan loves to do?" At the confirming nod, Harry chuckled.

"I admit that my behaviors have become more canine, but it isn't because I was bitten by a werewolf. Jonathan acts that way because he's imitating me. I growl quite a bit, though he's the only one in any position to hear it." Harry smoothed out his robes. "Also, he had a cold a couple days ago so I was mixing his potion, which is red, in with his milk. He doesn't like the taste."

"So what did cause this change in behavior?" Theodore asked, the more curious of the pair.

Harry shrugged, glancing toward Mikael and Jonathan to make sure they were still alright. "Family secret. Why don't you two tell me why you warned me about Malfoy?"

Another shared look between the pair, this time Theodore nodding and Blaise opening his mouth to explain. "I am set to inherit the Zabini estates when I reach majority. Theodore is second son, but his father is considering him for an arranged marriage. You already hold Lordship over the Potter estates and would make a powerful political ally."

"I have many brothers by my mother's other husbands, some of them older than me, but most of them not. They live with their father's sides of the family, but should something happen to me then the Zabini fortune would go to the next oldest of my brothers upon my mother's death."

Theodore cut in "And if I could claim a significant political ally, I might be able to wiggle my way out of this marriage. The witch he has chosen for me has already graduated Durmstrang and is less than agreeable." He grimaced, obviously thinking her distasteful.

Hesitantly, Mikael crawled up to cuddle against Harry and stare at the pair. Jonathan was napping at their feet. "Have you told your father that you don't like her?" He asked, his voice quiet and a little shaky. Harry smoothed Mikael's hair down to show his support.

"Yes. He says I should learn to deal with it and be happy that she is the only child of the family. I would be in charge of their estates should we marry." Theodore sneered, though the expression wasn't aimed toward Mikael.

Werewolf and human glanced at one another. "I don't see why we shouldn't form an alliance. So long as you continue to warn me about anything you learn regarding myself, of course."

"Then the House of Zabini offers friendship to the House of Potter." Blaise said, extending his wand formally. Harry glanced down at it, then stretched his own wand out.

He wasn't sure if he was right, but he'd never read about this ritual so he'd just have to wing it. "The House of Potter accepts the House of Zabini as a friend."

Theodore's lips twitched, but he didn't correct Harry. "May our battles and triumphs be as one." Blaise murmured, followed closely by Harry's repetition of his words. There was a brief flash of magic between their wands, then something warm settled in Harry's mind.

It felt similar to his bond with Mikael, only less. There was also the feeling of fragility, as if it were easier to break this bond than it would be to break the one with his werewolf friend.

"That was a minor oath. It will discourage you from betraying each other. Should one of you break it by betrayal, the other will be immediately notified," Theodore explained. "You did pretty well for not knowing about it Potter. Your wording was a little off, but obviously the magic took so it's fine."

Mikael shivered, pressing his mental self against the bond he had with Harry. "I could feel it." Both Slytherins turned their attention to him sharply. "It was like with you, only smaller." Mikael turned golden eyes on Harry, who was frowning down at him.

"Did it hurt?"

Mikael shook his head, pressing closer to Harry. "No, it just felt odd. Like a cat rubbing against your hand when you're already petting it."

Blaise frowned "Do you share a bond with Potter? Your last name was Demidov so you aren't a part of House Potter."

"Yes, he's bonded to me. The nature of the bond doesn't matter, I just want to know if this oath will affect it." Harry interrupted before Blaise could ask anything else. Mikael hid his face in Harry's side, uneasy.

Shrugging, Blaise looked out at the lake. "It shouldn't. The only thing is that he's bound to the oath as well. He can't give away my secrets without me knowing anymore than you can."

Harry nodded, satisfied. The sun was beginning to set, so he scooped Jonathan up, deposited him in Mikael's arms, and cleaned up the various things that had been spread around. "As interesting as talking with you two is, Jonathan needs to have his dinner and go to bed. Good evening."

The sentiment was replied and Mikael trailed after Harry up to the castle. He was carrying the baby bag, as Harry had taken Jonathan. Once the baby was done for the night, Harry helped Mikael with his charms essay. His own homework was finished afterwards and they went up to bed.

Two nights later was the first full moon. Harry followed the faint scent of Mikael down, toward the dungeons, and waited for McGonagall to leave. When she was gone, Harry slipped the invisibility cloak into Jonathan's baby bag at his hip.

The baby himself was peacefully sucking on his pacifier, wide brown eyes taking in their dank surroundings. "Its creepy down here, isn't it Jonathan?" Harry murmured lovingly, smoothing the wild brown hair down.

"But Uncle Mikael needs us tonight, so I'll keep you safe." He grinned when Jonathan reached out with both hands and gripped the one that had just run through his hair.

Harry reached out with his other hand and carefully undid the locking magic on the door. The manual lock was much easier to take care of after that, so the pair of them slipped inside.

Already a werewolf, Mikael lifted his head off of his paws to wuff questioningly at Harry. The green eyed boy smile din return and sat down against a wall. "No, they won't be checking on you. Wizards are far to frightened of you werewolves."

Doggy grin spreading over his muzzle, Mikael pushed his back end into the air and growled playfully. Jonathan growled back, his gurgling voice high pitched and adorable in the empty room. "Oh yes, you two are a pair of terrifying beasties." Harry mock cowered behind the baby.

Mikael stood up fully and came over to sniff at them both, his tail wagging behind him. Jonathan growled at him again, letting go of Harry's hand to grab onto Mikael's ear and tug. The wolf grunted, but didn't growl or jerk away so Harry didn't stop him.

"Remember, be gentle with the baby." Harry finally said after receiving a pleading look from Mikael and a happy squeal from Jonathan. He extracted the child from his sling carrier and set him down on the carpeted stone. At least they'd offered that much comfort to his partner.

Mikael barked playfully at the baby, who was rather surprised to find himself out of the warm sling. Jonathan scrunched up his face, then barked back. It was more an expelling of sound than an actual bark and as far as Harry could tell it didn't mean anything.

Of course, Jonathan wasn't bonded with anything yet so he couldn't really speak the language of canines.

Harry watched Mikael heard Jonathan around, noting the careful touch of the large wolf's snout. Once he was sure they would both be fine without his gaze constantly on them, he began to do careful warm-up exercises.

He wouldn't be able to do a full, intensive session but he could practice some taijutsu with this spare time. About halfway through the night Jonathan nodded off and Harry tucked him into the sling again. It was attached to the wall via a sticking charm, a little above the ground to act as a sort of hammock.

With the baby safely away from them, the pair turned to each other. "Alright Mikael, I think it's time we talked about some things." The wolf whined and Harry rolled his eyes with a small smirk. "No, you aren't in trouble. I just need to explain a bit about myself."

"The bond I initiated with you was originally used by my family to bind dogs to their masters. It gave my family the ability to speak with canines and to perform jutsu that depended on the chakra of an animal." He smiled at the confused head tilt.

"I never explained chakra to you, did I? Essentially, it's an ability made up of your physical body's strength and your spirit's energy. Every living creature on earth has it, though not everything can use it like I do." Mikael crawled forward on his belly and put his head in Harry's lap.

The older boy stroked the werewolf's ears. "The reason I know how to use it is because of my parallel life. I think of it more as a past life, but really it's happening right now in another world." He shrugged a little at the disbelieving snort he received.

"It's true though. In the other life I'm known as Shurachi Inuzuka. I'm alpha of my clan and mother to a group of beautiful pups, one of which is another Jonathan." Mikael whined and Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't know another you. I didn't spend much time in the wizarding world."

The wolf shuddered and Harry closed his eyes. "I'm sure I would have cared for you if we'd met in my other life Mikael. I can't do anything about that now, but if you'd like we could begin learning this bond properly. I've noticed that several things are different than if I'd bonded a regular dog already."

Yipping his agreement, Mikael yawned widely. Harry slid himself out from under the werewolf and settled Jonathan's sling over his shoulder again. "Get some sleep. I'm going to head back up to the tower so we don't get caught when whoever comes to get you in a few hours."

Harry pecked the werewolf on the nose, grinning when the beast sneezed, then slipped out the door.

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So, because of who I decided to pair Harry with, he won't be entirely seme. I love seme Harry, but I also love uke Harry. This will be aida Harry, or between Harry. Sometimes he's seme, but sometimes he's uke as well. In fact, most times he'll probably be uke if only because it would have to be rare circumstances that Zabuza would bottom. So no, Harry is not getting back together with Haku. Not in the way you would think at any rate.

Also, there have been some really aweseome reviews lately. I don't like listing names, but you know who you are. Unless you didn't leave a way for me to contact you, at which point you'll just have to decide if I'm talking about you or not. 8D Please keep it up guys, your reviews really help me improve the story!

Taku


	13. Chapter 12

**Rating: **M (for Mud Puppies Baby)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Disclaimer:** So I says to him, I says. "Do I look like J.K. Kishimoto?! Huh?!?! DO I?!?!"

**Note:** So I'm halfway through chapter nineteen now! I'll do my best to remember to post a chapter every weekend since I have them. XD I hope you like this, as it's the boggart bit some people were asking about. I don't think there are any foreign words in here, but if you find any let me know and I'll do my best to provide translation. I forget sometimes.

_**Japanese**_

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Harry smiled as he watched the other students in his class go up against the boggart. Jonathan had been left in the care of Collin. Remus had warned him last time that the lesson might be dangerous for a baby and Collin had a free period during Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts class today. He was glad he'd found a babysitter, some of the things the boggart was turning into would have terrified his cub.

When his turn came, he saw Remus make a move to intercept him. Smoothly, Harry sidestepped the attempt and watched the boggart twist. In the place of the demented clown, Kiba stood. His hitai-ate glinted in the weak light filtering through a window, drawing attention to the music note on it.

"_**Look who it is. You abandoned us Kaasan, that bastard killed Tsunade-hime and Shino!"**_Kiba darted forward, a kunai glinting in his hand. Harry dodged, a tight fist squeezing his heart. He hadn't even thought about his pups in months!

Kiba sneered, his face melting into Haku's. _**"I tried to help them, but in the end I wasn't able to."**_His soft voice was as beautiful as Harry remembered it, but the blood oozing from his slit neck made the picture more grotesque than nostalgic. _**"They Killed Naru-chan though, let the Kyuubi free."**_

Shuddering, Harry brought his wand up. A vicious jab and the growled incantation produced a brief flash of light. Orochimaru took Haku's place, dropping to the ground. There were senbon pinning his body to the floor and kikai-chu crawling all over it. As it slowly shriveled up from the draining bug's power, Harry tilted his head back and laughed.

The sound was a little demented, a little desperate, but it was laced with cruel amusement. This seemed enough to the boggart, who morphed into a shrieking banshee when another student stumbled forward to throw up.

Remus stepped forward to spare the poor girl having to try and fight off her worst fear as well as the gruesome images. It morphed into an orb, then was promptly banished back into the wardrobe. His voice shaky, Remus dismissed the class.

"Wait Harry, I need to speak with you." Harry nodded, the cruel smile he'd been sporting finally fading away. He needed to start seriously researching dimension travel. What if that was really happening? What if his pack was being slaughtered by that maniac?

The room emptied and Harry follow Remus out of the teacher's lounge and back into his office. "Harry, your boggart…who were they? What were they saying?"

Green eyes narrowed on Remus. "Why did you try to stop me from facing it?"

Remus looked away briefly, then turned a determined face to Harry. "I was afraid that Voldemort was your boggart. I didn't want to panic the students by having him appear."

A cruel sneer took up Harry's face. "Voldemort couldn't scare me. He's hardly worthy of the fear he inspires. There are much more terrifying things in the world."

Leaning back, Remus eyed the boy who should have grown up knowing him. "And what would those be?"

"The betrayal of family, the death of a lover." Harry bared his teeth and Remus flinched to see they were fangs.

"What about what you did to make it funny? Who was that man and why did his death amuse you?"

Expressive green eyes hardened, their jasper hues glinting in the dim light. "Someone who should never have existed in the first place. Now why don't you explain some things to me, _Professor_?"

Apprehension showed in Remus' posture, but his face remained calm. Harry could admire him for that much. "I know you were meant to be my uncle Lupin. I know what you are. Why didn't you try to find me before now? Why bother returning after twelve years?" Harry's voice was as hard as his eyes.

The werewolf looked away to hide his pain and remained silent.

"I thought so. Mikael will be staying with me in a secured location come the moon. I don't know where you plan to stay, and frankly I don't care." He made to stand, but Remus had already jumped to his feet.

"You can't stay with him during a full moon! It's dangerous Harry!" Golden eyes were almost frantic, so Harry settled back into his chair.

"Hardly. The bond that we have was formed when he forgot about the moon and transformed in the same room as myself. It is designed to protect me from the virus. I can't be turned into a werewolf, or a vampire most likely, and Mikael recognizes me while he's transformed," Harry explained.

Remus eyed him skeptically, and Harry rolled his eyes. "How about you take Mikael with you wherever you're going then? You can see for yourself."

"I'll be taking him with me, but you won't be following us." Harry nodded easily, knowing that Mikael would let him know where they were going so Harry could get their before them.

Eyeing Harry warily, Remus sat back down. "Alright, I suppose your excused to head to your next class."

Harry left the classroom, but instead of going to transfiguration he headed up to Gryffindor tower. "Collin, was Jonathan alright for you?" Harry asked smiling widely at the younger boy. He rolled onto his back to stare up at Harry, baby food stained into his clothing.

"Yeah, he was alright. Decided to paint with his mashed peas than eat them though." Collin gave a helpless little shrug, then yelped as a plush doll smacked him in the face. A little ways away from him in his playpen, Jonathan barked happily. He'd refused to use human noises the entire month since they'd visited Mikael.

It didn't really bother Harry, but he supposed he'd have to start getting him to speak like a human baby and not a wolf one soon. He'd need to be able to communicate properly when he grew up after all.

"And how was Collin my little wolf? Not to evil with the peas I hope?" Harry said, swooping down to scoop his son up. Jonathan squealed and growled enthusiastically at Harry. Harry growled right back, rubbing his face against the squirming baby's tummy before settling him on his hip.

He turned to Collin with a relaxed smile and ruffled the boy's hair. "Thank you for watching him. You'll need to hurry down to herbology though. I heard that your class was doing a lesson on mandrakes today."

Collin picked up his already prepared bag and leaned forward to peck Jonathan on the head. He beamed up at Harry, snapped a picture unexpectedly, then hurried out of the room before the older boy could recover from his momentary blindness.

"That kid is so gonna get it when I see him again. Isn't that right Jonathan?" The baby smacked Harry's chest with a closed hand, leaving a drool print behind. "I'm so glad you agree with me." Harry replied dryly. "Well come on then, time for transfiguration. Hopefully McGonagall forgives us for being so late."

When the night of the full moon came, Harry was amused to note that Remus didn't notice him at all. Yes, he was in an upstairs bedroom, but he could smell them enter and _his_ nose wasn't as good as an actual werewolf's. They moved around downstairs, likely removing their clothes, then the screaming began.

Harry listened closely for Mikael's voice, but it remained quiet. The transformation no longer pained him the way it had before, but Harry still worried. He waited until the faint sound of scratching at his door let him know that both of them were done transforming.

Mikael wagged his tail when Harry opened the door, Remus was no where in sight. So, patting the large canine at his side, Harry headed down the stairs lightly. Laying in the middle of the room, form heaving for air, was Remus.

He was letting out a faint growl, but it wasn't the sort of growl that warned of danger. It was more an annoyed sound. "You see Professor? You don't even have the urge to bite me, do you?"

Sharp fangs were exposed and the growl picked up. "My, what language."

At Harry's side, Mikael barked excitedly. "No Mikael, I didn't bring Jonathan. You might be able to control yourself but the professor can't. I looked up the potion they wanted you to drink, it only allows someone to ignore the wolf's instinct to attack a human. It depends entirely on will power and not many werewolves have the willpower to ignore the scent of a human."

Remus barked once, sharply, and Harry shook his head. "I'm not leaving. You can't infect me so I'm not at risk anyway."

Turning, so his back was facing Remus, Harry shrugged off his robe and unbuttoned his shirt to lower it enough to expose his shoulder blades. "Do you see the blue lines there? They're physical representations of my bond with Mikael. Do you see how they're wide? That is because the moon affects them, spreads them. But because the moon already has such an effect on me, nothing else can be added."

He tugged his clothes back on and turned to smirk at the upset werewolf. "I'm immune, you have your mind, and I probably don't smell like something to eat anyway. Just accept defeat gracefully."

The large wolf huffed, but didn't put up anymore protest. If he were honest, he didn't really want Harry to leave. It was exciting to have something like a pack around.

When the moon set and the light of the sun crept into the dilapidated house, Remus watched the two boys. They'd exercised as best they could in the shack, Mikael gleefully running up and down the stairs beside Harry. About two hours before sunrise they'd fallen asleep curled around each other.

Now Harry was practically smothering Mikael with his body. Remus wished he had a camera, and some pain relief potions. His headache wasn't helped by the uneasy guilt threading through his gut. Yes, Harry had come on his own, but Remus had promised that he wouldn't be a danger to any students.

If Dumbledore found out about this he would surely fire Remus, kick young Mikael out, and give Harry detentions for the rest of his school life.

One green eye peaked open, followed closely by it's counterpart. Harry lifted his head to glance around him and decided that it was safe enough. His head dropped back down with a little huff. Under him, Mikael twitched and whimpered a little.

Harry opened his eyes to look down at the younger boy. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he rubbed his eye cutely and yawned wide. Remus flinched at the fangs the yawn exposed. They were much larger than he remembered them being before. Maybe it was also an effect of the moon?

"Mikael…" Another yawn made him trail off, but he recovered and gently shook the boy's shoulder. "Come on Mikael, time to wake up. Jonathan is probably fussing by now."

Whimpering a little more, Mikael opened his own golden eyes. "I don't want to…."

Remus covered his mouth to hide his smile at the annoyed look on Harry's face. "Yes, but you have to. People will wonder what you're doing out of bed so early as it is. If you aren't at least in the Great Hall for breakfast, when you aren't in your bed, then it will be worse."

Alarm rang through Remus' mind. "He can't go to breakfast! He has to come with me up to Madame Pomfrey to make sure he's okay!"

Those green eyes rolled "He's perfectly fine. You can smell for yourself if you don't believe me. The bond repairs all damage caused by the transformation. It's painless to him."

"How?"

A calculating gleam entered Harry's eyes. "If you teach me how to do whatever it was you did to get rid of those Dementors, I'll tell you."

The older werewolf twitched back. "It's very advanced magic, I don't know if it's a good idea," Remus hedged.

Harry hummed slightly, running his fingers through Mikael's hair to straighten it out. The young werewolf fussed, but let Harry do it. It was obvious he enjoyed being taken care of. "Well, how I did it is a family secret, I don't know if it's a good idea to tell you."

Golden eyes glanced away from the sharp smile Harry directed at him to hide the pain of being excluded from Harry's family. "Alright, I'll teach you." It was much more important to Remus that he find a way to control the wolf than stopping Harry from learning something Albus deemed to advanced for him.

"Oh good. Then once I've mastered it I'll tell you how to control your own beast." Harry dropped into the trap door after Mikael, leaving a gaping Remus behind.

Later that night, Harry was up feeding Jonathan and quietly talking with Dean when Mikael came running into their dorm. His eyes were wide, obviously a little fearful, and he looked around the room until he'd found Harry. Immediately after spotting him, the first year moved to huddle against him as best he could with Jonathan in Harry's lap.

The pair of third years glanced at each other in concern. "Mikael?" Dean asked slipping out of his own chair to kneel next to the boy. "What's wrong?"

Frightened golden eyes peaked up at Dean. "A man, he was outside the portrait hole. I heard him trying to get in so I went to ask who it was, but before I could say anything the Fat Lady was screaming."

Dean looked up at Harry, a frown on his face. Neither boy got to comment as the door banged open for the second time that night. Percy stood in the door way, Collin and Dennis slipping around him to stand next to Harry and Mikael. "Sirius Black has attacked the Fat Lady. Everyone is to follow the prefects down to the Great Hall."

He didn't wait for the groggy boys, and not so groggy boys, to agree. He simply continued up the stairs to inform the other boys. Harry slipped a light house robe on, the cut reminiscent of a sleeping yukata when open.

Dean also slipped on a robe, then helped Seamus pull some proper pajamas on. He liked to sleep in just his boxers. Neville, having fallen asleep on top of his covers in his robe and slippers, simply rolled off his bed. Ron grumbled, after being shaken awake by his fellow Gryffindor, and stumbled down the stairs without even waiting for his dorm mates.

Harry didn't mind, he'd been spending more time away from them than with them, neither of his friends approving of Jonathan. Though he did try to make sure he did things with both Ron and Hermione once a week at the very least to keep from burning those bridges entirely. Shouldering Jonathan's bag after grabbing a few more things, Harry followed his house down to the Great Hall.

It took a little effort to ignore Snape's sneer as Collin, Dennis and Mikael all unzipped their provided sleeping bags to make something of a futon. They snatched his pillow to put it in the middle, then arranged theirs beside it.

Chuckling, Harry settled down in the middle. He made sure baby Jonathan was situated alright beside him before letting the other boys lay down around them. His sleeping bag was unzipped and used as a blanket over top all five of them.

Smoothing down Mikael's hair over Jonathan's head as the lights went out, Harry moved his legs so Dennis could spoon up behind him. Collin had a hold of the back of his sleeping robe, likely curled around his younger brother.

No one dared comment on the odd sleeping arrangement the next morning, save for a few rumors that Harry didn't bother listening to. They fizzled out in the next few weeks so it wasn't very important anyway.

Because of the attack, Remus offered to teach Harry every Tuesday and Thursday after classes. They would go until dinner and Harry would work on finding his happy memories. So, sitting on his bed with a gurgling Jonathan rolling around the covers, he searched his mind.

When he'd received his Hogwarts letter? No, he'd been to terrified of his Uncles anger to be happy. Maybe the first time he'd ridden a broom? He had rather liked it, though he'd withdrawn from the Quidditch team to better care for Jonathan.

That memory wasn't strong enough to get anymore than a tingle in his wand arm. Getting Jonathan back had made him very happy, but the circumstances had left a bitter tang in his mouth.

Maybe he was searching the wrong memories? Gripping his wand a little tighter, Harry thought of the first time he'd held Kiba. His many nights with Koishi, then Haku. Shino, Naruto, Sasuke and all of his pups friends. His bonding with Doku, then Sabishii, and finally Kinobu. Gasping, Harry opened his eyes to stare down at the soft white glow on the tip of his wand. It wasn't enough, but he was close.

Jonathan squealed in excitement, reaching out to touch the tip of his wand. Harry couldn't move it away in time. When the child touched it, a blinding white light made Harry close his sensitive eyes. He dropped his wand and reached for Jonathan, desperate to keep him from falling off the bed.

When the light died down, Jonathan beamed up at him. Harry hurriedly stripped the baby to make sure he didn't have any injuries. Sitting on his back, just above his right butt cheek, was a shimmering tattoo. It looked like it was made up of powder fine glitter, twinkling whenever it caught the light. Peering closely at it, Harry noticed that it looked a little like a wolf.

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Review and let me know what you think! I live off your opinions after all. 8D

Taku


	14. Chapter 13

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** I suppose it would be nice, but the world isn't so sweet is it?

**Note:** Sorry about the lateness, but I got caught up in a drawing spree. I never feel inspired to draw, so I let that take over for as long as it lasted. I have up to chapter 21 written now. Its looking like it will probably stretch into 50-60 chapters at this rate. God damned plot bunnies.

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Harry absently petted Mikael's hair as he read the refresher book for becoming an animagus. He'd done it as Shurachi and it had been a useful skill, so he wanted to be able to do it again. He'd already started Mikael on the basics of chakra control, had in fact just come from training with the smaller werewolf.

Of course, he wouldn't begrudge his partner a little nap before dinner with how hard the werewolf had worked today.

Looking down at his hand in Mikael's hair, Harry pulled it away and focused on changing it into the paw of his cerberus form. The book recommended only changing parts of the body if you'd suffered head trauma or had gone more than two years without shifting.

Nothing happened, so he pushed more magic into it. His arm warmed up, but it didn't change. Frowning, he skimmed the chapter again, then closed hi eyes and focused on his animagus form. It wavered unsteadily, something smaller shimmering underneath it.

Frustrated after twenty minutes of no results, Harry turned his attention to the smaller thing. Almost immediately, his cerberus form vanished and a large wolf stared back at Harry. It's tail was raised in challenge, ears pricked forward.

It wasn't staring at him though. It seemed almost like it was frozen in the pose to best display it's power. Mentally circling the beast, Harry had to admit it was beautiful. Thick black fur and piercing green eyes packaged together with vicious looking fangs made for an intimidating image.

Feeling a surge of energy in his arm, Harry opened his eyes and glanced down at it. It was a wolf's paw, heavily furred. Quickly changing it back, he glanced around the common room to make sure no one had noticed.

Not even Seamus was looking his way, to busy playing peek-a-boo with Jonathan; so he turned back to his book and continued to stroke Mikael's hair. Later, when his dorm mates went to sleep, he could practice shifting into this new form. Right now it would be suspicious if he went to bed. Especially when Jonathan was obviously awake and happy to be so.

When bed time did come, Harry pulled the curtains on his bed and pressed his mind against the mental image of the wolf. It came alive, jumping forward with it's jaws wide and swallowing him whole. When he opened his eyes again the world was much less colorful.

The plethora of scents that were invading his mind made up for that though, so he didn't mind the loss of color. Someone stirred in their bed, turning over and climbing out. Harry let the magic holding him go and settled under the covers. One of his goals had been met, finally. Now he just had to figure out how to get to the portal back home without anyone noticing.

When he tried the next day, it was harder than he thought. The portal between the worlds wasn't open like he remembered it being. His chakra stores weren't large enough to open it yet either, likely wouldn't be until he was older. On top of that, with no one to really practice against, he couldn't be sure his skills were staying sharp.

Yes, he had Mikael, but the younger boy was training with him so they could work in harmony. That made fighting one another a bad idea at this point. There wasn't even a dueling class, so he couldn't try anything out there. Not that he would have been able to anyway.

It was unlikely Dumbledore would ever hire someone for a physical defense class either. Maybe he should just start one of his own? He knew the theory and could go through the motions well enough now to teach it. Who would he teach though? He didn't want it to be someone who was going to grow up and use it against him.

While sitting in front of the fire in the common room, Harry pondered this. Jonathan was still to young, though he would be old enough to start on some chakra games soon. Harry wasn't going to let his cub grow up soft like one of these wizards.

"Dennis! I found him!" A body plopped down beside him, Mikael moving forward on the floor absently to make room and stop Jonathan's advancing on the fire.

Another body slid down in the small space between Harry and the arm of the couch. The Creevey brothers plopped a small cake in Harry's lap. It was a little deformed, but it made him smile.

"For Jonathan's birthday! We missed it last week because of the pre-holiday testing," Dennis explained. Collin nodded on Harry's other side and reached around Harry to grab the small plates from his brother.

They cut a couple pieces and passed one to Mikael. He happily gave the frosting to Jonathan, who was intent on mashing own piece into every surface he could.

"Collin, Dennis, how would you feel about a little extra help in defense?" Harry started slowly, licking cake off his fork when he was done.

The brothers glanced at each other, before turning blinding smiles on Harry. "Of course we would like some Harry! What did you want to help us with?" Dennis nodded, agreeing with his brother.

Harry set his plate down on the ground, not even blinking when it vanished. "Well, I've been working with Mikael on this, but his focus doesn't really allow for us to spar with each other. I was hoping to teach you some physical defense so I had someone to spar with. Plus, it would be a good ace up your sleeve in case one of the Slytherins disarms you."

Both of them nodded eagerly. "We wanted Papa to sign us up for karate before we found out about Hogwarts. He couldn't take us to the classes because of work though, so he said no. Will it be anything like that?"

Smiling at Dennis, Harry nodded. "A little bit. I never learned karate, but I do know some martial arts and that's what I'll be teaching you."

When Harry explained things a little better a couple days later, both boys were surprised to learn about chakra. Harry taught them to find the little bit of chakra they had next to their magic and showed them exercises to expand it.

Mikael was working on tree climbing while he did this. So, when he finished, the werewolf was to tired to work with Harry.

Harry set to work making a chakra toy for Jonathan instead. It was about this age that Kiba had been given his first chakra toy as well. A contraption that had sweet candies trapped inside. Concentrated bursts of chakra at the locking mechanism would drop one of the candies out for the child. It was made of wood and the leftover plastic from one of the girl's makeup cases that broken last week.

Harry coated the thing in his own chakra using a minor seal. It would make sure only one candy got out when the lock was triggered. When he handed it to Jonathan, who was tumbling around in his playpen, the baby tried to smash it.

He knew what the colorful candies were and he wanted one. He wasn't sure how to get one out, but his Papa had given it to him so obviously he could. It would just take a little while.

The small group stayed outside until it got dark, then slipped back into the castle in time for dinner. Percy Weasley was waiting for Harry at the door to the Great Hall.

"Potter." Harry nodded at him, but didn't stop. Percy hurried forward to catch up with him and sat in Collin's usual seat across from him. "You have double potions tomorrow morning don't you?"

Jonathan burbled, spilling mashed carrots all over his front. "Yes. I might have to skip it though, no one has a free period tomorrow morning and potions are to dangerous for a baby to be around." Harry absently cleaned Jonathan up and stuffed another spoonful into his mouth.

Percy cleared his throat, looking a little nervous "I took care of all my younger siblings. I could watch him for you as I don't have classes until your own free period." Green eyes looked up at the Weasley. He looked the older boy over, noting the uneasy fidgeting and the hopeful expression.

Glancing at Ron, who was scowling into his potatoes again, Harry smiled a little. His friend had been disapproving of Jonathan staying with Harry. He'd claimed his mother agreed with him, but Harry hadn't owled her to confirm that. "Won't your mother disapprove?"

Frowning, the prefect shook his head. "She's not happy that you have a baby, but that's because she's afraid you won't be able to care for him properly. She'd be happy enough to know that I'm helping you."

Harry nodded, scraping the last of the carrots out and giving them to Jonathan. "Alright. I'll leave him with you in the morning then. Would you prefer to use our dorm or should I bring his things down to the common room?"

"The common room, I should think. That way the elves can clean up your dorm while you're all away at class." Percy smiled down at Jonathan in Harry's lap. "Does he still use a bottle?"

"No. He has a sippy cup now. He doesn't talk yet but I'm expecting it to happen soon. A…friend of mine's mother had a baby about three years ago and by the time he was one he could say a few things." Harry shrugged and dug said sippy cup out so Jonathan could drink some apple juice.

Percy nodded and went back to his dinner. The next morning, he watched Harry set the playpen up within the circle of chairs by the fire. Soft toys were tossed in for the sleepy child to play with when he fully woke up and Percy was taken through a tour of the baby bag and it's various uses.

He refrained from telling Harry he already knew how to care for a child. It was obvious the younger boy cared for his son very much and would probably continue to tell Percy about taking care of Jonathan anyway.

"If he gets to be to much just call for a house elf to come get me. Thankfully he's stopped talking like a dog, but sometimes he likes to act like one. He has a few teeth as well, so watch out for biting. I noticed he's been leaving his teething ring for peoples fingers." Harry pushed bangs out of his face and eyed everything critically.

His hair was pulled back into a small braid to keep it from getting in the way while he was brewing. He didn't want to use the goop Snape did to keep his hair of his potions. "I don't think I did, but if you discover I forgot something then feel free to search my dorm for it."

He leaned over the side of the play pen to kiss Jonathan's sleeping head, then waved. "I'll be back after potions Percy, thank you for watching him."

Percy waved him out of the common room, then turned to look at Harry's year mates. Dean and Seamus had purposefully delayed their leaving, 'looking for Dean's book' until Harry had left. "You better hurry or you'll be late. Snape hates Gryffindor's enough as it is, being late won't help you any."

"We just wanted to make sure you knew that if anything happens to that baby while we're gone, we'll make your brothers seem like angels." Dean said, his arms crossing over his chest.

It was a little ridiculous that he was threatening a seventh year, but Percy took it seriously.

"Also, if you put a bit of honey on his teething ring he won't bite you. He likes the taste to much to take it out of his mouth." Seamus cut in, grinning a little crookedly. Percy smiled at them in thanks.

"I promise nothing will happen to him, and thank you for the tip. My siblings never had a problem with biting people. Well, except the twins, but I didn't participate very much in taking care of them. Now you should really get to class, Snape might not give you detention if you hurry." Percy shewed them out of the common room.

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I was also distracted by a webcomic called Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name by Tessa Stone. You should all go read it, since it's so awesome! Review and tell me what you think!

Taku


	15. Chapter 14

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** Well I wanted a pretty pink birthday cake with my face on it, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen does it?!

**Note:** Yeah, no excuse this time. It was just my laziness and drawing kick that delayed me. I think I'll shoot to post in the middle of the week rather than the weekend, because my weekends always seem to be the busiest/laziest times.

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Christmas came and went. Harry made a few scrolls on chakra exercises and some taijutsu forms for the Creeveys and Mikael. Mikael also received a new pair of sleep pants as he'd destroyed a pair last full moon. He hadn't managed to get them off in time and the transformation was so quick now that he wasn't able to thrash out of them either. Percy, who had become a regular babysitter, got a book on the history of elemental magic. He'd mentioned to Harry when they'd been sitting in the common room that he was interested in it.

As promised, he sent some still photos of Jonathan to Dudley. The owl had strict instructions to not be seen by anyone but Dudley. Another owl was sent off to Mr. Creevey with a paper weight that would subtly change colors when someone was lying.

Harry gave Remus some candy when he went for his patronus lesson. They'd had to cancel them for a while after the first couple as Dumbledore had been pestering Remus much more often. Harry doubted the man knew about the lessons, but they stopped just to be safe.

After setting the little baggy of chocolates on Remus' desk, Harry frowned. "Something strange happened when I was practicing about a month or so ago. I'd managed to get a white glow going, but Jonathan grabbed my wand before I could try anything else. There was a bright flash and when I looked him over there was a tattoo on his back that looked a little like a wolf patronus,"

Remus blinked in shock, as Harry usually remained silent in these lessons. "Did you take him to Pomfrey?"

"No, he seemed alright. Going outside stopped upsetting him so much after that as well." Harry shrugged a little and settled with his feet in a chair and his bum on a desk.

"Hmmm, bring him with you next time and I'll have a look. If it isn't bothering him then I wouldn't worry though." Harry nodded his agreement and they set to work coaxing a vague mist from Harry's wand.

The next time he came for a lesson, he had the baby strapped to his chest in a new carrier. Mrs. Weasley had sent it to him with strict instructions to write her if he needed any advice. He'd already asked her what he should do about any accidental magic.

"So you said he had a mark on his back?" Harry nodded and settled the child on his lap. He pulled the baby's shirt up a little to expose the glimmering wolf head. "Well that is odd. He doesn't seem bothered by it?"

"No, I don't think he even noticed it was there." Remus hummed, then pulled out his wand.

Motioning to Jonathan with it, Remus asked "Do you mind if I do a spell to see something? It will imitate the effects of a dementor to a lesser degree. It's meant to help test the strength of a patronus once someone manages to make it corporeal."

Uneasy, but wanting to know how the spell accident had affected his son, Harry nodded. _"Despero Umbra,"_ Remus muttered, a black mist seeping from his wand toward the father son pair.

Harry fought the urge to move away from it as it floated toward them, shuddering as his memories of the boggart began to stir. The mist wrapped around Jonathan, then jerked back as if it were a living thing. Jonathan didn't seem to notice it at all. He continued to suck on his sippy cup, uninterested in what the adults were doing.

"_Finite,_" Remus muttered. He reached a hand out to touch the tattoo that had lit up just slightly when the mist touched the baby. "I think it's safe to say that he's no longer affected by dementors Harry. I'd even go so far as to say that they could be repelled by him, judging by how the mist was reacting."

Green eyes observed the child, who squeaked around his cup when he noticed his Papa watching him. "I see. Thank you Professor."

Later that night, Harry groggily stared across at the large shadow standing over Ron's bed. "Sirius?" His voice was little more than a frogs croak and he slipped on his glasses to get a better look. The man was staring at him with wide eyes, the glint of a knife at his side.

"Sirius, you should transform and hide yourself under my bed. It will be morning soon and whatever your after will still be here. Unless you're after Ron's rat, because Hermione's cat ate Scabbers about two days ago." Harry slipped out of the bed, shuffling over to check Jonathan.

The emaciated man twitched, then his body smoothly flowed into a big dog. Harry lifted the bed skirt helpfully and watched the canine scamper under. "If you're still here come lunch, I'll bring you something to eat. I need to talk to you about something."

A quiet whine was his answer, so Harry climbed back into his bed and fell asleep for the next hour. He went to classes, smiling at Percy when he dropped Jonathan off with him after breakfast.

Returning at lunch, Harry was a little disappointed to find that Sirius had left. The dog animagus hadn't even let him know of a way to contact him. Determinedly shrugging off his disappointment, Harry expertly cleaned Jonathan of his smeared food and changed his clothes. Then he made his way down to charms. Flitwick was always happy to see the baby.

When spring rolled around, Harry had gotten used to Percy being around. Collin and Dennis had caught up with Mikael as far as chakra and taijutsu went as well. They were about the level of genin while Harry was as close to jyônin as he could get without a real sparring partner.

Jonathan had also managed to figure out his chakra toy, so Harry was building a new one for him. The baby thought that it was the coolest thing to be able to get candies whenever he wanted them.

Harry had sent his three genin, as he'd taken to thinking of them, a little ways into the forest to find a couple rabbits. He'd offered to help Hagrid feed Buckbeak, who'd been injured in a dominance fight a week ago. Since the man was out of ferrets, and offering Malfoy would be frowned upon, he'd volunteered to catch some rabbits.

Of course, this meant that he sent his little trainees out to get rabbits while he played with Jonathan on the grass.

"Potter!" Harry tilted his head to look, Jonathan held above him.

A pink mouth twitched into a smile. "Percy, how are you?"

The Weasley smiled a little in return, then frowned. "I'm alright, I guess. I just wish you'd tell me who you are."

Any playfulness in Harry's face disappeared and Jonathan was clutched protectively to his chest. "What do you mean?"

Percy pursed his lips and sat on the grass in front of Harry. Harry slowly sat up to face the older boy as well. "I know you aren't Harry. Or rather, you aren't the Harry that started Hogwarts three years ago."

Harry relaxed a little, letting a smile play at the edges of his lips. "Ron isn't the same Ron who started Hogwarts three years ago either you know."

"It's not the same!" Percy pinked at the vehemence in his own voice. "I mean, Ron changed yes, but he's growing up. With you, it feels more like you grew up and are just waiting for your body to catch up."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry cocked his head to the side. "I don't understand."

A frustrated sigh exploded out of Percy. "Okay, I don't care how mature you are. You don't act like a thirteen year old. You know how to care for a baby as if you've done it before."

"The way you manage your friends is the same way an adult would, making sure they all spend time with you and feel like you care for them. Children, no matter how mature, aren't that good at managing friends; especially with a new baby!" Percy began to pull up grass, his frustration evident.

"You even have some of the younger years looking to you like you were their mother. I know you're helping them to defend themselves, but that wouldn't warrant such adoration! I just don't understand." He slumped, as if defeated.

Harry sighed and glanced over his shoulder at the forbidden forest. "I see. Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to explain a few things. You just have to swear to me you won't reveal this to anyone. It would be disastrous if one of Voldemort's followers were to find out."

He waited for Percy's agreeing nod before sharply whistling. A couple of seconds passed without any indication of why he'd done that.

Then Mikael came bounding out of the forest with a rabbit in his mouth and another two on a string at his side. A laughing Collin followed, carrying his own rabbit. Dennis came last, looking a little disgruntled and with leaves and sticks in his hair.

They hurried over to Harry, dropping their four kills in front of him and then flopping on the ground in various states of relaxation. "We got four of them! We would have had more, but you called us back in the middle of a chase."

Harry waved his hand, excusing the low number of rabbits. "It's alright. I need to explain some things to you."

Green eyes focused on Percy. "You know about magic, but do you know how to find your magic?" The Weasley boy hesitated, before nodding. It was the first step to becoming an animagus and he'd been trying to do that for years.

"Have you ever felt something smaller, similar to your magic but fundamentally different? Yes? That's called chakra, it's something everyone has and can use to some extent." Harry plucked up some grass and laid it flat on his palm.

Concentrating a little bit of chakra in his hand, Harry pushed it out and smiled as the grass lifted a couple inches to hover steadily. "This energy can be used to perform devastating techniques, attacks, or to augment the body's natural physical abilities to super human level."

"You wouldn't be able to find this information from anywhere in the wizarding world, except maybe as a vague mention in some obscure book." Harry smiled, watching Percy close his mouth as his question was answered. "The only reason I know about it is because I lived it."

There was a stunned silence. Mikael inched closer to rub his cheek against Harry's shoulder reassuringly. "You could call it something of a parallel life. It's like a past life, only I believe that the world these memories come from is running parallel to ours."

Percy frowned, obviously thinking hard. "So you have an older self somewhere who died and gave you his memories?"

Harry shook his head and handed a squirming Jonathan off to Mikael. "No, When I was about thirty my village was attacked and nearly everyone died, myself included. Because that timeline and ours was lined up at that same time, and I had suffered a mortal wound from Voldemort at the end of my first year, I kind of copied my memories."

"I think that our world forced a reset in that one though, because the portal into that world isn't open. At the time of my death it was constantly open." Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. "Which means that the events of that world are happening again in sync with ours. There is another thirteen year old me there, only without the thirty year old me's memories."

The boys remained quiet, trying to process this. Finally Collin flopped onto his back to stare up at the sky. "So, is your name Harry over there?"

This seemed to break the mounting tension, because the other boys laughed. "It was Shurachi, though I prefer Harry now."

Percy seemed to contemplate this for a while, before looking at the three boys and their dead rabbits. "Is that what you're teaching them? How to control this chak-ra? Could I learn to use it too?"

Surprised, Harry looked down at Jonathan. The baby was ripping up grass with enthusiasm. "I suppose you probably could. Usually children start building their reserves when they turn five if they're going to become shinobi. However, I didn't start building mine back up until I turned twelve and these three only just started this year."

Nodding to himself, Harry looked up at Percy. "I could teach you. It would be good to have another person who has a mature chakra well able to perform these techniques."

"Here, this is the first exercise in building chakra control. You have to lay back, leave the leaf on your forehead Percy. Okay, reach into your chakra and push it out through your forehead. You need to levitate the leaf a few centimeters from your skin without it falling or blowing away." Harry grinned a little at the look of concentration on the older boys face.

It was almost like having his pack back. Pups playing around and comrades practicing with their chakra. Sure, his fellow shinobi had always sparred to exercise their chakra, but just the feel of foreign, and strong, chakra was making him feel nostalgic.

He was going to get that portal open. Then, if his other self approved, he was going to unite his two packs.

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Review and let me know what you think about this one, because I totally glossed over xmas like a bad sex scene yo~!

Taku


	16. Chapter 15

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** Blah blah blah, not mine, etc.

**Note:** Finished my finals! HURRAY! I have the whoel summer open to write/draw/collect money for various anime cons. Definitely gonna be awesome guys. Oh yeah, here's the next chapter!!

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Most of his exams were done and Harry was sitting in the library. He had one last lesson with Professor Lupin tonight, then he had his Defense Against the Dark Arts exam tomorrow morning. He'd promised, even if he didn't get a full patronus tonight, that he would tell Remus how he'd bonded with Mikael.

It wasn't likely that the man would be able to bond with anyone for a while yet, as he'd need to find a suitable person and explain everything to them, but Harry was willing to do that as well when the time came. He liked Remus, even if it was more because he felt responsible for him from the other timeline than anything the man had done this time around.

The books spread around him all had to do with one-dimensional travel. Jonathan was set up in a portable crib, something Percy had asked his mother for when he noticed all the time Harry was spending in the library. So he didn't have to worry about leaving to relieve any baby sitters.

He'd invited Mikael to come and sit with him, or study, but the young werewolf had refused. Instead, he and the Creevey brothers were exploring Hogwarts; on the ceiling. Harry had warned them to not get caught and to keep an eye on their chakra levels to make sure they didn't suddenly fall off or run to low.

"Harry…" Green eyes looked up from the book Harry was cross referencing to look at a frowning Hermione and a scowling Ron. "Can we talk to you?"

Laying the book flat on the table, Harry nodded. "Of course you can Hermione, what's wrong?"

She sat down in the chair across from him, then tugged Ron into the other one when he refused to sit. "It's just, it feels like you don't really spend time with us anymore. I mean, I know that you have a baby to take care of, and it looks like you've really started taking your studies seriously, but ever since the end of first year it feels like you don't really want to be around us."

Tilting his head to the side, Harry eyed the two. "Honestly, I didn't notice. I guess I've just been so busy lately that I hadn't thought about it."

Hermione's lower lip trembled. Harry felt a pang of regret, but shoved it away. He didn't feel like he was really close to them anymore. He'd grown up overnight and they hadn't, not to mention they avoided him if he had Jonathan around. They probably hadn't noticed the crib yet, or the pair would likely have left him alone.

"You spend more time with my git of a brother than you do your best friends Harry!" Ron's voice was louder than Hermione's, but she hushed him to avoid being kicked out my Madame Pince.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Your brother volunteered to help me with Jonathan, of course I spend more time with him."

"And Seamus and Dean? What's your excuse for hanging out with them more than us?" Ron asked, Hermione nodding hesitantly beside him.

The Potter pressed his lips together. "They were both there for me in second year much more than you were. They also are happy to help me with Jonathan. Neither of them once asked me to get rid of him, nor do they try to scare off the younger years who want to talk with me."

His straightened in his chair and level a chilling glare at his former best friends. " If either of you had cared for me even a quarter as much as those two did, you wouldn't have avoided me whenever you saw my _son_ was with me."

"He's not your son!" Hermione burst, covering her mouth as soon as the words had left it. "I mean," she continued quieter, "he isn't your son Harry. He's your cousin and the ministry was insane to give you custody of him! You're a child yourself, you can't be expected to take care of a baby!"

Taking a deep breath to hold his temper, Harry silently gathered his books up. Once he had a stack of five, which was all you were allowed to check out, he tapped the top and gathered up Jonathan's things. "I see. Thank you for your opinion Hermione, but I'll have to ask that you leave myself and my child alone from now on. I no longer wish to associate with you."

Her eyes shined with tears, but Harry didn't care. It might be childish of him to wish to sever all ties, but how could he continue to do things with them if they weren't going to accept one of the largest factors for happiness in his life.

Jonathan made him happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. If they couldn't accept that then he wanted nothing to do with them.

He left to the sound of Hermione's sobs, his books floating serenely behind him. Madame Pince was happy to check his books out, warning him that they had to be in the day before the leaving feast. He assured her they would be and made his way to Remus' classroom early.

The older man blinked in surprise, but smiled welcomingly. "Hello Harry. I wasn't expecting you until later tonight. Did something happen?"

Harry set the crib back up and flopped down into a desk after putting a still sleepy Jonathan down. "Just some trouble with my friends. Are you grading?"

Surprised, and pleased, by Harry's apparent interest in what Remus was doing, the werewolf nodded. "Yes. The sixth years had their exams this morning with me. It seems to be a pretty okay group, most of them passed."

"That's good. I wouldn't want one of them to end up dead because they didn't pay attention in class." Harry said absently, digging some parchment he'd bound into a sort of notebook out. "The seventh years took their exam yesterday right? How did the head boy do?"

Remus flashed Harry an uneasy grin. The casual mention of death, and the lack of pity in Harry's voice, was a little disturbing. "I'm not allowed to tell students other peoples grades. Plus, I wasn't the one who gave the test to the seventh years. N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s are given by ministry officials."

Green eyes blinked at Remus in surprise. "Oh, I didn't know that. I guess I'll just have to ask Percy when he gets his results then. He was fussing about it the other day when he watched Jonathan so I could take my herbology exam."

Laughing a little, Remus turned his attention back to the theoretical essays he'd had his classes write. "With how much he studies, I'm sure he did fine. He's always had a good grade in my class, so I don't see how he could have failed."

Harry made a noise of agreement, his eyes on one of the books he'd checked out. Remus let the silence settle around them, happy with the easy atmosphere they'd managed to create. It was rare that Harry let himself relax around Remus.

When Jonathan began to fuss in his crib, Harry set his books aside and moved to check on him. The baby barked and Remus blinked in surprise. He hadn't known the child was imitating animal sounds.

"Yes Jonathan, Papa is here. Do you need your diaper changed? Is that what that face is for?" Harry cooed quietly, trying not to disturb Remus. He needn't have bothered, the werewolf's full attention had been on him the minute he'd moved to get out of the desk.

"Well come on then my little wolf, let's get you taken care of." Harry moved to the large baby bag, which he always carried along with his school bag. A thick blanket was spread out on the floor, then a clean diaper and some wipes were set down on it. Some more digging produced powder.

Glancing up, Harry motioned toward Jonathan. "Sorry, but you might want to cover your nose. Mine isn't as sensitive as yours, but a dirty diaper is still a little to strong for me." He pulled a cloth up from around his neck that Remus hadn't noticed he wore.

Watching the diaper be undone once the baby was laid out on the blanket, Remus choked a little at the smell. Harry glanced over at him in amusement, but quickly turned back to the child. "You'll be a good little wolf for Papa, won't you? Let him wipe you clean…there we are. Now lift up for the new diaper."

Jonathan let out a cranky wail, but it was mercifully short. Merely a sound of protest rather than an actual tantrum. Harry powdered the baby's bum and did up the diaper so it wouldn't come off. "There we are. That was very good of you Jonathan. Here's your treat."

The child happily chewed on the teething ring that Remus could see was smeared with some sort of sauce. His questioning look was answered with a short "Honey." before Harry vanished the dirty diaper and used wipes.

"You don't mind if he plays here do you? The blanket prevents him from climbing off of it, so he won't get into anything. I can use the playpen, but it's kind of small and he tends to get upset when he can't check on me." Harry asked politely, cleaning his hands with another wipe that he simply threw away.

Remus shook his head. "No, it's alright. If you'd like you can leave his stuff here at dinner. Since you'll be coming back after I mean."

A grateful smile was aimed at him while Harry settled back in his desk. "I would love to, thank you." They worked in silence after that, only Jonathan's noises and Harry's quiet encouragement of the child breaking the peace.

When dinner rolled around, Harry carefully avoided looking at Hermione's red eyes and Ron's furious scowl. Everyone in their year noticed the tension between the three, but most of them had seen it coming. Ron and Hermione only seemed to irritate Harry in their recent encounters after all.

"How's it goin' Harry?" Seamus asked when the other boy sat across from him and next to Percy. Jonathan was settled in his lap and happily pawed at the mashed potatoes on Harry's plate. Very little of it ended up in the child's mouth; Harry expertly ate around the little hands.

Swallowing his mouthful of rice, Harry smiled at the Irishman. "I'm fine. I had a little fight with Granger and Weasley earlier, but I'm over it now. Oh! Would you mind watching Jonathan for me tomorrow night? I have something I need to do."

Mikael perked up, knowing that Harry was going to spend time with him. He hadn't been able to come very often on the full moon because Remus couldn't be trusted around a baby and Harry couldn't leave Jonathan with their friends to often.

Dean leaned forward, as Seamus' mouth was full. "We'd love to Harry. Are you going to be gone all night?"

"Probably. I promise I'll be back before he gets up in the morning though." Harry grinned at them, absently plucking potato from Jonathan's hair.

"Oh good, he's a little demon when you aren't there in the morning. Refuses to do anything the easy way." Percy said, dabbing gravy off the side of his mouth primly. Harry threw an amused look at the older boy.

The two third years blinked at him, then grinned at one another. "Does that mean you're staying with us tomorrow night Percy?" The head boy merely nodded, his jaw busy chewing.

They finished eating and the deserts appeared on the table. Harry didn't get any, not wanting Jonathan to have to much sugar before bed time. The honey on the teething ring was enough for one day. Instead he discussed what he thought of the exams with his year mates and Percy, who was valiantly trying to not panic over his scores.

Collin was curious about how the first year exams were, since he'd missed them. His brother and Mikael were enthusiastic in their response and the older years told little stories from their own first year exams.

When the deserts were as gone as dinner, Harry made his excuses and carried a content Jonathan back to the defense classroom. Remus met up with them halfway, but neither of them spoke. Harry set Jonathan up in his crib, hoping he'd fall asleep while they were practicing.

The third try tonight, Harry produced a solid mist. It almost took a shape, but not quite. Remus frowned at it unsurely, then finally turned to look at Harry. "What memory are you using?"

Harry blinked at him, then ran a hand through his hair. "I'm using several. I couldn't find a single memory with enough happiness in it, so I hoped that using several to try and combine the happiness I felt in them all would work."

Comprehension dawned in Remus' face, as well as a hint of sadness. It shouldn't be so hard for a child to think of a single moment of pure happiness. "That's why you're having such a hard time. You're concentrating to hard on the happiness in your memories. Try to think about the actual memories themselves, not whether you felt happy enough in them."

Frowning, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on Jonathan's first attempts at dog noises. A small smile quirked on his lips, so he let the string of memories connected t it play out. Mikael 'teaching' the canine language to little Jonathan, Collin pretending to be conquered by the baby.

It led off on a little tangent and soon memories of his pack now mixed with memories of his pack as an Inuzuka. The more he thought about them, the lighter his heart seemed until the words whispered out of his mouth. "_Expecto Patronum._"

Remus gave a startled cry at how bright the patronus was as it leaped from Harry's wand tip into the room. Jonathan started to cry, obviously startled. The large wolf howled silently and did a circuit of the room before moving to sniff Jonathan.

The baby's wails grew louder and Harry's eyes snapped open to see what was bothering him. He gasped when he saw the huge silver beast he'd produced. "Oh wow…"

It turned to look at him, seemed to snort and nuzzle the baby before fading. Harry shuddered a little at all the positive magic feeding back into him through his wand. "That was…"

"Amazing!" Remus crowed, rushing forward to hug Harry tightly. Harry stiffened in his arms and resisted the urge to rip Remus' limbs off. He was not okay with being trapped like that!

"Please let me go Professor, Jonathan is obviously upset." Harry's voice was stiff, something Remus picked up on easily.

He set the third year down and stepped back, clearing his throat. "Yes, of course. Sorry about that Harry. Right then, you've got the hang of the patronus charm and a little more practice will let you master, I'm sure."

Bouncing Jonathan to quiet him, Harry nodded. "I will, of course, explain to you the process of my bonding. I'll even perform it for you if you would like. You'll have to find someone you can spend the rest of your life with however, because there is no breaking this bond unless one of you dies."

Remus swallowed thickly. "I understand. How should I contact you over the summer, since the next full moon after tomorrow is next month?"

"Owl should be fine. They can generally find me and we can set up a place to meet. You'll have to be bound to someone strong Professor. They'd need to be able to control the beast, without aid from a potion or bond." Harry smiled as Jonathan finally calmed down.

His hiccoughing little breaths were soothed by a hand rubbing his back and he clutched at Harry as his father set the chest pouch up and settled him in it. "There there little wolf, you're fine. Papa's here." He made soft shushing noises and Remus smiled at the resemblance to Lily.

"It takes control of an energy called chakra, and the knowledge of the seal, to lock away the instinct and let the human mind take control. A lot of that control depends on how strong the human partner is. Plus, they'll have to be able to stay in the same room as you when you're transformed." Harry cleared his throat a little and began to pack away Jonathan's things.

The baby was happily sucking on a chunk of Harry's hair, obviously mostly asleep by now. "You won't be able to use that potion, because it could interfere. They also won't be able to be in animagus form, because that would reverse the bonding and both of you would loose your minds every moon."

Harry shrugged at the slightly horrified look on Remus' face as he realized Harry had _subdued_ the rather large adolescent werewolf that was Mikael in order to bind him. "Can we have me in a cage or something, so I'm not a danger to the person?"

"No. They have to be in physical contact with you. Obviously they can't get bitten, because they won't have immunity until your next full moon, but you can be restrained if you'd like. Or muzzled." Remus flinched a little at Harry's tone of dry humor.

"Anyway Professor, I need to get going before curfew hits. Snape's been looking for a reason to give me detention since I stopped Neville's cauldron from exploding in Weasley's face." He tapped the collapsible crib with his wand and gathered the little box it turned into, tucking it into the diaper bag. "Good night."

"Good night Harry."

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So what did you think? A little bit more of an explanation about the bonding thing. Also, you guys should all go read Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name by Tessa stone (vert-is-ninja on deviantart) because it is my newest love. Ummm...yeah. Thats about it for now.

Taku


	17. Chapter 16

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** Is this really necessary? Cause, you know, nothings changed since last time...

**Note:** Damn FFXIII and it's beauty. I've been playing that for a week. Well, that and FFXII. Expect to see things about FFXII posted after this story is done. God damn it. Why is Balthier so hot? Why is Vaan so easy to slash? At any rate, you guys get a double post to make up for my neglecting you.

* * *

Harry quietly slipped out of the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack. He'd been slightly delayed, worrying over a small cough Jonathan had developed that morning. Percy had promised to watch it and take him to Madame Pomfrey if it got any worse.

Perking a little at the sound of voices in the upstairs bedroom he usually waited in, Harry climbed the stairs. He skipped over the creaky ones and stilled at the top to see if he could hear any better. There had to be some sort of barrier though, because not even his better than average hearing could pick anything out.

A few silent steps brought him to the door. He still couldn't hear anything so he quietly opened the door and slipped through it. Three wands were leveled at him, all of which he recognized. Remus lowered his wand as soon as he saw who it was.

Hermione kept hers up, however, and Sirius unsteadily held Ron's wand between the floor and Harry. Mikael was tied up in the corner, a cloth in his mouth keeping him quiet.

Of course Harry didn't like that, but he couldn't do anything about it until the wands weren't pointed at him. "Hullo Black. I see you finally decided to come to your senses and talk to someone." Remus started, obviously surprised at Harry's reaction.

For his part, Sirius turned Ron's wand on the boy himself. Harry hadn't noticed the pale red head behind the large convict before. "So it was Ron you were after?"

"No, his rat!" Sirius' voice was rough, much worse than Harry remembered it being when he'd discovered his dog was actually a man. Of course, he'd been building the dog's health up for months before hand.

Hermione laughed, though it was a nervous sound. "You're crazy! Scabbers is just a rat! Professor Dumbledore will realize you're on the grounds and you'll be Kissed!"

They could practically hear the capital K in kissed.

Sirius curled his lip, but didn't take his eyes from the rat struggling in Ron's hands. "This is no rat. That's the animagus, Peter Pettigrew."

Harry's sharp look made Hermione's mouth snap shut. Ron was in to much pain to try and say anything. "Would you mind proving it? And could I please untie my poor friend?" He gestured at Mikael, who squirmed a little when the attention was turned to him.

"Yeah, alright. You can untie him and I'll prove that's Pettigrew," Sirius muttered to himself. Remus stepped forward and the pair of them leveled their wands at the rat. Harry didn't hear what spell they used, to focused on cutting the ropes from Mikael's form with his single kunai.

A startled yell had him whirling around though, blade at the ready and Mikael easily struggling out of the remaining ropes.

Where once a rat had been held, a balding man was quivering on the ground. He tried to huddle under Ron's legs, but the horrified red head pulled them onto the bed. When he moved to Hermione, hoping for mercy, she pointed her wand at his nose.

"Please. My old friends-" he was cut off by Sirius' angry hiss and Remus' threatening growl. He turned panicked eyes to Harry; his last chance. "Harry, you look just like your father. He wouldn't want you to let them kill me, he would help me."

Harry let the man grip at his robes, smiling a little when he felt Mikael's growl against his back. The young werewolf stepped around him and lashed out with his foot, sending Pettigrew flying across the shack. He hit the wall with a rat-like squeal.

"I'm afraid I'll never know what my father would have wanted Peter, you killed him after all. However, we'll need more than your body to get Black pardoned." Harry sighed, as if he regretted this fact. "So knocking you around a little will have to suffice."

Sirius took a menacing step forward and Pettigrew squeezed his eyes shut. Remus grinned viciously when he realized that the man was trying to transform. "You can't change back so soon Peter. Your magic is bound by the spell we used for another ten minutes. Just enough time to take a little revenge."

Not interested in watching a coward be beaten up, Harry turned his attentions to Ron. The redhead was hyperventilating a little. "Weasley, I need you to breath. You'll pass out if you don't." He keened, obviously panicking more.

Frowning, Harry turned to look at Mikael. The werewolf shrugged a little, obviously at a loss. "Granger, have you got any parchment on you?" She frantically searched her pocket and held out a scrap of parchment.

He laid it down on the moldy pillow, then used a bit of transfiguration to make a paper bag. This he shoved at Ron. "Breath into this. It will help calm you down."

"Good thinking Harry, but how did you learn such an advanced spell?" Hermione beamed at him, obviously thinking this was a good way to worm her way back into his heart. He gave her a blank look then turned to the pair of grown men making the third man shriek like a little girl.

"If you two don't stun him now, he'll be able to transform and get away. Time's almost up on the spell from what you said earlier." He called, dismissing the girl. "Plus, I need to get Ron to the infirmary. You managed to do some damage to his leg, it looks like."

Sirius had the grace to look apologetic as Remus stunned the sobbing Pettigrew. "I'm sorry about that kid, I was going for Peter."

Ron let out a little shriek of his own and finally passed out. Harry rolled his eyes and glanced over at Hermione. "If you'll levitate him, I'll lead the way out. I'm not sure I'd be able to concentrate on keeping him floating."

She flushed at the implied compliment, pleased enough to not wonder why Mikael wasn't helping Harry as he usually did. The pair left the shack, a warning look from Harry ensuring Mikael would guard Pettigrew.

The trek up to the castle was silent, Harry following behind Hermione once they got on the grounds. He claimed it was so he could catch Ron should anything happen. In reality, he just didn't want her walking behind him. He didn't trust her with his back in a potentially dangerous situation.

Touching her shoulder as they neared the doors to the infirmary, Harry let a burst of chakra disrupt her own. She dropped to the ground, unconscious. Ron, no longer supported by her magic, also fell to the ground. Harry spared a moment to make sure nothing had been injured further before banging on the infirmary.

He hurried around the corner, out of site, and listened for Madame Pomfrey to discover the two students before hurrying back to the shack. Remus and Sirius were downstairs, watching the trapdoor. The animagus sat up in alarm when Harry came through.

"Hush Black, I'm safe. He won't attack me." The werewolf huffed in agreement, then closed it's eyes. Harry threw him an amused smirk and patted Padfoot on the head when he walked by. "Get some rest, it will be busy tomorrow morning."

Mikael was waiting in the upstairs room for Harry. Pettigrew had been stunned and wrapped so tight in conjured rope that it would be a miracle if he could breath. "You up for some errands tomorrow? We'll need to deliver our little package to the proper authorities."

He barked, clearly happy to do so. Harry could understand, the man reeked of piss and fear even unconscious.

"Well, it would be easier to keep an eye on him with sharper senses. Do you mind if I spend the night as a wolf Mikael?" The werewolf wagged his tail, obviously excited by the idea. Harry smiled widely at his enthusiasm, then let the black canine in his mind consume him.

Again, the lack of color disoriented him briefly. Then interesting new scents replaced them and he stood to sniff around the room. The bed smelled heavily of human blood, the corner of Mikael, and a sickly sweet scent permeated everything. Fear was one smell Harry disliked in any life time.

Feeling playful, Harry turned to a sitting Mikael. He let his front end crouch by the ground, his back and tail high in the air. A teasing growl rumbled out of his throat to warn the werewolf. Then he launched into the air and collided with the barking wolf.

They wrestled on the ground, only pausing when Moony came to sniff at the door. They didn't want him to come in and attack Pettigrew. Wolfsbane couldn't help him with a human so close and human blood in the air.

After nearly an hour of play fighting, they set to work cleaning each other's small scrapes. Mikael doing more cleaning than Harry, as Mikael kept moving his injured parts away from the other wolf's tongue. Finally, Harry gave up trying and just let himself be licked.

Pettigrew only stirred once and Harry quickly stunned him again. When morning came, and Mikael had pulled some clothes on, Harry left Pettigrew in the capable hands of Remus. The werewolf was exhausted, but he had Sirius to help and Harry knew that neither of them wanted to mess up his chance for freedom.

"We'll send an owl off to the Ministry. Once they send a representative, and I'm sure they'll be quick about that, we'll inform Dumbledore. He hardly needs to know before then…what is this?" Harry trailed off, staring down at the unconscious form of Snape.

Worried for the man, but not by much, Harry levitated him up to the castle. He didn't even twitch, but Harry didn't want to check for a pulse. The man would be enough of a hassle when he found out who'd delivered him to the infirmary.

"Go get my school bag Mikael, and apologize to Seamus, Dean, and Percy for me please. Tell them something urgent came up and I'll be by to collect Jonathan after I've sent out an owl. I'll be in the owlry waiting for you." Harry stopped Snape from knocking his head against a wall.

Mikael nodded, but hesitated in leaving. "Do you want me to just bring Jonathan up with me? You showed me how to use the chest pouch so I could carry him and the bag."

Slowly, Harry nodded. It would certainly help to lower their annoyance with him if he took the baby before Jonathan could start throwing a fit. "Yes, make sure you grab his sippy cup too. He'll want something in his stomach when he wakes up."

The werewolf hurried off and Harry pushed the doors to the Hospital Wing open. "Madame Pomfrey? Hello?" He took note of Ron in a bed on the other end of the ward, Hermione across from him. The mediwitch bustled out of her office door, looking harried.

"What's this Mr. Potter? Oh my, Severus!" She covered her mouth briefly, then had Harry levitate his professor onto an empty bed. "What happened to him?"

Harry shrugged "I was taking an early morning stroll on the grounds, since we'll be leaving soon, and I saw him passed out by the whomping willow. I wasn't sure how long he'd been there, or what had happened to knock him out like that, so I brought him to you."

Light from various spells flashed out of Pomfrey's wand. "Well it's a good thing you did. He's got a bit of a concussion so it's likely the willow got him. Honestly, why are all my patients coming in unconscious? I can hardly get an idea of what's wrong with them passed out!"

Looking curious, Harry glanced around. "Who else came in unconscious?"

"Oh, just your friends dear. Someone woke me up last night by banging on the door and just left them there," she said distractedly, waving her wand over Snape's head. Harry saw it glow and the tight set of the man's features relaxed a little. "That should do it. Now shoo Mr. Potter, get to breakfast."

Harry scampered toward the door, but paused before leaving. "Could you not tell him it was me who found him? He's enough of a git in class without having to know I saw him like this."

The nurses face relaxed into something a little less stern. "Yes Mr. Potter, I'll keep it a secret. Now off with you."

He left before she could start to threaten him with a check up. The trip to the owlry was uneventful. The only living thing he came across was Mrs. Norris and she merely sniffed at him and continued on her way.

Mikael speared, out of breath, two minutes after Harry entered the bird filled room. Jonathan's carrying pouch was transferred from the smaller first year onto Harry's own chest. Then, some parchment was pulled out and Harry penned a quick letter.

To whom it may concern,  
I discovered Sirius Black last night. He, along with another man by the name of Peter Pettigrew, were dueling each other, Black managed to knock out Pettigrew, but when he noticed me he fled. Because Pettigrew had a Dark Mark on his arm, I thought it prudent to inform the Ministry of a potentially at large Death Eater.  
Sincerely,  
Harry Potter

Hedwig winged down from her perch when Harry held up the dried missive. "I need you to take this to the Ministry girl. To whoever is in charge of wizarding law enforcement."

The owl hooted her understanding and took off. Harry put his things away, shouldered his school bag, and turned to a silent Mikael. "Well, it looks like things are going to get a little exciting here pretty soon. Do you want to try and eat something before it all starts?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty hungry after last night. How long do you think it will take?" They began descending the stairs and heading toward the Great Hall.

"Someone will probably show up towards the end of breakfast." The pair slipped into the mostly empty Great Hall. Only Professor Sinistra was at the head table, absently sipping at a cup of steaming something. Harry smiled politely at her and loaded his plate with the food that appeared as soon as he sat down.

Mikael swallowed some orange juice, then spoke. "Should we retrieve him before they get here? I know we'll have to avoid Dumbledore, but it shouldn't be to hard if we only have to wait a little while."

Thoughtfully, Harry chewed his toast. "I suppose we probably should. There's no need to reveal the fact that I was in the shack last night. Do you think Sirius would let him out of his sight though?"

"Good point. We'll have to convince him that it's a good idea." Mikael sighed into his scrambled eggs, but perked up when a sleepy Collin and Dennis came to sit on either side of him. Harry chuckled and sipped his own juice.

Percy sat down on his left, then Seamus and Dean settled on his right. "Morning Harry. Jonathan wake up yet?"

The Potter shook his head. "Not yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Thank you for watching him last night by the way. I'm sorry I had to have Mikael come get him. I needed to post an owl to the ministry rather urgently."

"What about?" Percy asked, tilting his body to look at Harry easier.

"You'll see. I'm sure the whole school will know by the end of breakfast. Speaking of, I need to go get something. If you'll wait here Mikael?" For a second it looked like the werewolf would protest, but then he seemed to resign himself to Harry's expectant look.

"I'll be quick and they'll need someone here who knows what's going on should they beat me here," Harry explained.

Mikael perked up "You can count on me Harry."

Green eyes sparkled in happiness "I know." He slipped out of the hall behind some older Ravenclaws. This time, Harry saw several people and even greeted a few.

He was at the doors that led outside when a hand touched his shoulder. "Where are you going Potter?"

Behind him was a curious looking Blaise, Theodore yawning widely at his side. "I need to get something. If you'll excuse me."

Harry slipped out of their hold, but they followed him stubbornly. "What do you need to get from out here this early in the morning?"

"It doesn't matter Zabini, please go to breakfast." A slight commotion at the gates drew their attention and Harry cursed quietly. He'd wanted to get Pettigrew before the official arrived. "Listen, if you go to breakfast you'll soon know what's going on."

The Slytherins glanced at each other, then nodded. "Alright, but we want the real explanation later. We can hardly consider ourselves ally's if we don't do anything to help one another."

In a hurry, Harry agreed to explain it to them later. They left, eager to find out what was going on.

Harry slipped into the upstairs bedroom, relaxing a little when he noticed that Sirius was sleeping. Remus had his wand trained on Pettigrew, golden eyes dark with some hidden emotion. "Professor, I'm going to need to take Pettigrew. A Ministry official has come to see for themselves that he's alive and a Death Eater."

Remus twitched a little. "How did they know to come?"

"I owled them. We need to clear Sirius' name before he can get better, and the easiest way to do that is to prove that Pettigrew is the guilty one," Harry soothed, waiting for Remus' jerky nod before levitating the bound man. "I won't let him out of my sight, I promise."

"I trust you. Just…be careful." Remus' voice was uncertain and his eyes tracked Pettigrew unblinkingly.

Harry smiled at him in gratitude and quickly levitated the man out of the shack and tunnel onto Hogwarts grounds. He wasn't careful to keep from bashing his head on things, but he didn't go out of his way to knock him around either. The man would be useless if he couldn't be revived.

The halls were empty again when Harry entered the school and he could hear something like shouting in the Great Hall when he neared it. So, because he wanted to make a very noticeable entrance, Harry used a C Rank wind jutsu to blow the large doors open.

Silence followed the loud bang of wood hitting stone walls. Everyone stared at him and the man he was levitating behind him.

"Mr. Potter, what in the world is-"

McGonagall was cut off by the stern looking woman standing in the middle of the hall. "Mr. Potter? This is Pettigrew I assume?" Shocked silence took the teachers table, but the students uneasily began to whisper to one another.

At the Gryffindor table, Mikael sat back down. He wasn't needed to handle the situation right then.

"Yes it is. I apologize for not meeting you at the gate, but you came a little earlier than I thought you would." She waved her hand to brush away the apology, then turned to the head table. Dumbledore was strangely absent, so she spoke the McGonagall instead.

"Would we be able to use your office Professor McGonagall? Since the Headmaster seems to be absent this morning." The Deputy Head reddened a little, but nodded tersely.

Harry waited for both women to pass him before motioning to Mikael. He slipped from the table and followed Harry out. The Ministry woman raised her eyebrow at him when she noticed Mikael coming, but Harry merely frowned at her and held his hand out for the younger boy to grasp.

Pettigrew floated in front of him this time, so if the woman tried anything she'd have to maneuver around his body first.

When they were safely ensconced in McGonagall's office, the woman cleared her throat. "Do you know who I am Mr. Potter?" He shook his head so she smiled a little. "I'm the Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones."

"Susan's aunt?" Mikael asked curiously, then shrunk back when her eyes turned to him.

"Yes, Susan's aunt. I wasn't aware you knew her Mr…?" Auror Bones trailed off, looking at him expectantly.

"Demidov. I'm Mikael Demidov. She helped me find the books I needed to study for my Herbology final yesterday. She's very nice." He flushed red and pressed his side against Harry. Mikael was immensely glad they'd sat on the small couch against the wall now, rather than in the last chair before McGonagall's desk.

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you Mr. Demidov. I take it you were with Mr. Potter when he came across Black and Pettigrew dueling?" There was a shocked gasp from McGonagall that drew a look from Auror Bones. Mikael meekly nodded, clutching at the third year's arm.

Jonathan chose that moment to begin stirring. Harry hushed him gently and slipped a pacifier into his mouth. He suckled it strongly, wrinkling his nose when he opened his eyes. He remained quiet though, content to lay on his fathers reclined chest.

"If you wouldn't mind setting Pettigrew up on the chair here? Thank you." She vanished the ropes already on him and used a different spell to tie him to the chair. Harry spoke up before she could wake him though.

"He's a rat animagus Ms. Bones. You'll want to make sure he can't transform if you're going to wake him." She regarded him thoughtfully, then turned to McGonagall.

"Vir Necto," the Professor said. Pettigrew seemed to shudder, then slump a little. Auror Bones revived him and he looked around groggily.

A horrified look stole over his face when he seemed to realize just where he was, and who he was with. "He made me do it! I didn't want to, I was set up!" He devolved into pitiful whimpers when he noticed the dark look on Harry's face.

Flicking her wand, Auror Bones vanished Pettigrew's left sleeve. On his arm, faded but visible, was the Dark Mark. "It looks like we have some investigating to do." She said darkly. "If you would please make yourselves available Mr. Potter, Mr. Demidov; I'll have a field Auror come and take your statements within the next couple of days."

Jonathan snuffled, then spat out his pacifier. He screwed up his face angrily, took a deep breath, and wailed as loud as he could. Harry bounced him a little, but at a dismissive nod from the Ministry woman he left the room. Mikael was close on his heals.

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Feel free to tell me what you think, or just whats goin' on with you. Cause you know, I want to learn about my readers too. 8)

Taku


	18. Chapter 17

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** Derpderpderp

**Note:** See chapter sixteen. 8)

* * *

Dean frowned as Harry met up with a pair of Slytherins in the hall after lunch. "Hey Seamus, did Harry mention anything to you about babysitting?"

The Irishman shook his head, not bothering to look up from the strap he was trying to straighten out on his bag. "No, why?"

"Because he's following some Slytherins and I can't imagine that Jonathan would be terribly safe with them." He mumbled starting after the trio. Mikael had disappeared with Collin and Dennis again too, so they knew that Jonathan wasn't with him.

Down into the dungeons they went, being careful to stay out of sight when the paranoid Slytherins checked over their shoulders. Seamus continued to fiddle with his strap, merely glancing up to make sure he hadn't lost Dean every now and then as he absently followed him.

They saw Harry go into a classroom with the Slytherins and moved to listen in. "-and the Dark Lord shall rise again, to smite eavesdroppers and unsheathe Gryffindors."

Dean's eyes went wide, but before he could drag Seamus back up the corridor with him the door opened and an amused looking Harry grabbed both of their shirt fronts. "Hello guys, out for a stroll?"

"Sorry Harry." Dean muttered sheepishly.

Seamus gave a crow of victory as he managed to fix his strap, then flashed a vaguely apologetic smile at his dorm mate. "Yeah, sorry mate. Was just worried about the Little 'un. Where is he anyway?"

Green eyes glinted at the pair. "Percy finished his last test before lunch. I left Jonathan with him since we," here he indicated the frowning Slytherins, "had a meeting set up. If you two hadn't been bickering about the incantation to turn things into wine you would know that."

They had the decency to look chastised, if not sorry. "Anyway, I'm just explaining Pettigrew to these two. You can stay and listen if you like."

Here he glanced at Blaise and Theodore to make sure it was okay with them. Theodore shrugged and Blaise rolled his eyes, but didn't protest. "Right. Well, I was meeting Mikael at the shrieking shack so we could practice our teamwork together. When I got there I found him tied up in a corner and gagged. Weasley and Granger were there as well, but they may as well have not been."

"Black attacked Weasley when he and Granger were wandering the grounds and she chased after them. From what I understand, he came across Mikael and Professor Lupin and managed to bind Mikael before anyone could stop him." Harry paused to clear his throat.

"Anyway, he'd attacked Weasley to get at his pet rat. It was an illegal animagus, Peter Pettigrew, and a Death Eater. The rat had apparently framed Black for the murder of my parents and those muggles. Him and Professor Lupin had the rat held under their wands, Black took Weasley's, while Granger had her wand on Black."

"When I showed up they made him become a human again, knocked him out, tied him up, and I went to pen a letter to the Ministry. Amelia Bones-"

"The head of Magical Law Enforcement?" Theodore interrupted, a look of shock on his face.

Harry gave him a vaguely annoyed look, but nodded. "Yes. As I was saying," Theodore flushed apologetically, "Amelia Bones showed up, we brought Pettigrew to McGonagall's office, and she confirmed that he had the Dark Mark. Supposedly someone will be along to take my statement soon."

The four other boys looked at one another, then at Harry. "And?"

He shrugged, stuffing his hands into the sleeves of his robes. "And nothing. Jonathan started fussing so Mikael and I left. I assume she took him to a holding cell or something until he can have a trial."

Seamus groaned, slapping his hand over his face. "You're a horrible story teller Harry!"

Beside him, Dean nodded his agreement. He shared an exasperated, but amused, look with the pair of Slytherins. When the three of them realized what they'd just done they all pulled faces and looked pointedly away from the opposite house.

Harry laughed quietly at them. "You guys are to funny. Sorry I'm such a bad story teller Seamus, but I promise to work on it." He grinned a little at the Slytherins, who had their noses in the air in an overly dramatic fashion.

"Oh come on you guys, it's not like they have some contagious disease." He wheedled, leaning back against a table.

The four of them made a show of glancing at each other suspiciously. "I dunno Harry, they might rub their slimy Slytherin on us." Dean said, taking a large step back.

Blaise pulled an offended face, but it was Theodore who replied. "It's Gryffindors who are known for rubbing. Lower mental abilities and all."

Perversely, Seamus leered at the younger boy. "I wouldn't mind rubbing my lower self on your snakey bits." Harry choked, staring at Seamus in shock. Dean wasn't to far behind, though his face was incredulous as well.

"Seamus! You didn't just say that?" The black boy squeaked, bring his hands up to covered his burning face.

Not the least bit embarrassed, Seamus grinned at him. "Of course I did Dean! Have you seen that boy's arse?"

Theodore groaned in mortification and beside him Blaise snickered into his hand. "Well! You-you! Potter, does he talk that way around your son?"

"He better not or he won't have anything to rub on anyone." The half serious scowl made Seamus inch behind Dean for protection.

There was silence, then all of them began snigger. The quiet giggles devolved into full out laughter and the two Gryffindor boys moved forward to shake hands with the Slytherins. Blaise and Theo made the shakes short, but smiled to smooth any ruffled pride over the distant agreement.

"I guess we can put up with them for you Potter." Blaise murmured, nodding decisively.

Dean echoed the agreement, flashing a white smile at the other four.

Harry separated from Dean and Seamus when the climbed back out of the dungeons. Blaise and Theodore had excused themselves to return to their own common room as soon as they'd left the empty room. "I'll meet you guys outside once I get Jonathan and Percy."

They waved and went outside. Harry turned toward the stairs that would eventually lead him up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Harry my boy!" Harry stopped to look over his shoulder at a beaming Dumbledore.

"Headmaster. What can I do for you? I was on my way to relieve Percy of my son." Harry asked calmly, fighting to keep the frown off his face.

The old man patted his shoulder and made to steer him away from the tower. "About that my boy, I've some wonderful news for you!" Harry got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I've found a delightful family, very light indeed, who have agreed to take him in for you. You're much to young to be worrying about a baby on top of your schooling."

Harry stopped walking, digging his heels in when Dumbledore tried to force his movement. "Excuse me sir, but I don't recall asking you to look for another family."

He chuckled, as if Harry were joking. "No need to thank me dear boy, I'm just looking out for my students. Speaking of, why didn't you come to me when you came across Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew? It could have been terribly dangerous for you if Mr. Black hadn't fled the scene."

Sneering a little now, Harry jerked his shoulder out of the Headmaster's grip. "I'm not thanking you sir. In fact, I'll even apologize. I'm terribly sorry, but Jonathan won't be leaving my care. My condolences to the family who agreed to take him, he'll be staying with me."

"As for Sirius Black, it didn't concern you. We weren't on school grounds and he's a convicted felon. Clearly, the Ministry has jurisdiction." Harry made to leave but Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"The Shrieking Shack is owned by Hogwarts Mr. Potter. However, it is an out of bounds area so you will have detention when you return next year. Also, as one of my students everything that happens to you during the school year is my concern. I was worried about you my boy." The slightly cold tone warmed up as he went and Harry glanced over his shoulder at the man.

Nodding a little, he frowned. "I understand. I wasn't aware that the Shrieking shack was owned by the school." Then he continued walking, not bothering to give the man time to stop him again.

Percy was glad to see him. Jonathan had apparently decided the older boy's hair was more interesting than his newest chakra toy and was tugging on it. Harry hid his amused grin at the slightly ridiculous picture the pair made.

"Would you like to come outside with us Percy? Dean and Seamus are saving us a nice spot down by the lake." He offered, uncurling Jonathan's fingers from the red hair. The baby grinned up at Harry when he realized who was pulling him away.

Percy fixed his hair with a sniff. "No thank you Harry. This is my last year here and I was hoping to talk with Professor Flitwick before dinner tonight. Then I plan to spend as much time as I can in the library. There were some questions on my exams that I wanted to research."

Smiling understandingly, Harry accepted Jonathan's baby bag from the Head Boy. "Alright Percy. Thank you for watching Jonathan for me again. I'll let the guys know that you won't be coming down. Have fun talking with Flitwick."

Dumbledore didn't approach him for the rest of the week, though Harry sometimes felt the old man's gaze staring down at him from the head table. Boarding the train, Harry was a little relieved that teachers didn't ride it normally.

When he'd told Remus who had Pettigrew he'd seemed to relax a little. Harry had expected him to be a little more upset.

"Harry, there's an empty compartment down here," Dennis called, head sticking out of the door. Mikael laughed a little and hurried down the corridor, Collin close behind him. Harry followed them at a more leisurely pace, bouncing a nervous Jonathan on his hip.

At least they wouldn't have to worry about dementors this time. Amelia Bones had had them withdrawn from the school after the preliminary questioning.

Settling by the window, Harry smiled at the boys as they playfully poked at each other. "Alright boys, settle down. Is your father coming to pick you up Collin?"

The younger boy nodded, giggling as his little brother got one last poke in on his side. "Yeah, he said he'd be there. He took half the day off to come get us."

"Okay. Let him know that you guys can always come to stay with me for the day if you need to." Both boys beamed at him and Harry smiled back. Mikael grinned at pair as well, obviously happy that his friends would be able to visit over the summer.

Someone knocked on the compartment door. At Harry's call they poked their head in. "It's me. Do you mind if I sit with you," Percy asked, looking a little uneasy again.

Harry smiled warmly at him, motioning for the older boy to come in. "Of course you can Percy. I take it the prefect meeting is over?"

The redhead nodded, stowing his trunk with theirs in the overhead compartment. "Yes. Dumbledore will decide the new Head Boy and Girl about halfway through the summer, along with the new Prefects."

He reached out to ruffle Jonathan's hair, jerking his hand back when the baby snapped at it with his scattered teeth. He'd learned that from Mikael the other day. "He really is just like a little werewolf, isn't he?" The tone was amused so Harry just laughed.

Again, the compartment door slid open. This time it was Theodore and Blaise. "Hello Potter, Blaise and I were just checking to see if you're staying in the Alley's again this summer?"

Nodding, Harry smoothed Jonathan's hair down. When the baby snapped at him he let his fingers be captured, then pushed down on his jaw to make him release them. "Yes. I think Mark, my minder as it were, would be a little bit hurt if I didn't stay in his tavern this summer."

They nodded and Blaise spoke up. "We'll be in contact then. My mother will want to meet you, I'm sure. Theodore will be dropping by as well."

"I'd be delighted to meet her. Have either of you seen Dean or Seamus though? I lost them in the crowd once we got out of the carriage." They both shook their heads, so Harry smiled at them. "I'll see you later this summer then."

They echoed the sentiment and left. Dennis pulled out a deck of cards for exploding snap. His brother and Mikael were quickly dealed in while Percy leaned forward to converse with Harry. "You're staying in Diagon Alley?"

Harry shook his head and moved his finger a little as Jonathan latched onto it again. "No, I'm actually staying at a tavern in Knockturn Alley. Mark, the man who owns it, gives me a bit of a discount since I always stay there the whole summer."

He quirked a little grin "And I dare say he's become rather fond of Mikael and Jonathan as well."

"What's this tavern called? I would like to continue learning about chakra and how to use it if you wouldn't mind," Percy asked, looking hopeful.

Considering for a moment, Harry looked him over. Percy had picked up taijutsu and genjutsu rather quickly. Harry hadn't taught him any ninjutsu yet, wanting to make sure he wouldn't accidentally exhaust his growing chakra stores.

With a little more training. Percy would be a great asset if he ever had to go to war. Considering the way things were stirring in the alley last summer, that wasn't such an impossible possibility.

"It is called The Moonshine. It's a little ways down from the secondhand book shop." Percy smiled beautifully at him and Harry blinked in shock as warmth pooled in his stomach. He hadn't reacted to anyone like that since he'd gotten his memories of Shurachi. Sure it was faint, but he'd felt his heart flutter and a strange itch in his loins.

Though he supposed that he'd had sex with Koishi for the first time around this age. It made sense that hormones were starting to show their pimply heads. He just hoped they wouldn't affect his bond with Mikael to much. The boy was to young to be worrying about such things.

A voice announced that they would be coming into the station in ten minutes. The boys hurriedly shrugged out of their robes. Harry laughed a little when Collin and Dennis also changed out of their pants and shirts. They left the train in t-shirts and denims.

Harry didn't mind wearing slacks and a button up, though he did remove his tie. Mikael just pulled on his cloak over the muggle-friendly part of his uniform. It was rather cold in the station.

Percy quickly peeled off of their group to join with his family. Harry spared him a smile, but hurried into the station. As he was waiting with Collin and Dennis for their father to show up, an unwelcome voice barged through the noise of the crowd.

"Boy!" Harry looked up, green eyes sharp behind his glasses. Vernon paled a little, but didn't flinch back. "Your aunt insisted I come tell you that she's pregnant again. We don't want you showing your freakish self at our home and corrupting it."

Harry sneered a little at his uncle and shifted so it was obvious Harry was holding Jonathan. "Trust me Uncle Vernon, I wouldn't go to your home if someone paid me a thousand pounds."

The fat man sniffed, obviously offended, but he didn't argue. It was what he wanted after all. "Good." The man sneered, looking like he'd just stepped in some dog shit, and wandered off. Harry shook his head at the questioning looks the younger boys were giving him and instead shushed the sniffling baby in his arms.

What a terrible start to his summer.

* * *

So there's that! And hey, we got to see Vernon again! Awesome right? Yeah, so maybe not. Anyway, I have up to the Quidditch World Cup written. I'm slowly slogging through the after math of that because I'm so excited to get to the damn tournament that it's making it hard to actually write up to that point. GAH! You guys have no idea, it's gonna rock.

Taku


	19. Chapter 18

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** I dunno, I could probably pass for Rowling...maybe...with lots of plastic surgery and an audience with bad eyesight...

**Note:** Updates should be picking up. Most of my major summer shit is taken care of. Now, we have a little dilemma to take care of. Do you guys want to see shippuden stuff when Harry gets back to the Hidden Countries? If you do, know that there will be a longer update period, likely only one chapter a month. I haven't been keeping up and would need to read from the start of shippuden again to the current fantranslated chapter. It won't be for a little while, because I'm only half done with the ground work for Harry's new clan.

A poll will be up on my profile so once I finish posting this and make it, so please got vote.

* * *

Laughter burst into Knockturn Alley as Mikael darted out of the door of The Moonshine. Harry followed close behind him, running after the younger boy at an abnormally fast speed. Strapped to his chest, Jonathan squealed in delight, excited by how fast the wind was blowing in his hair.

"Get back here you little monster! I'll show you to pour bleaching potion in my shampoo!" Harry called after the fleeing werewolf. Mikael laughed a little louder, jumping onto a low roof and continuing the chase above the buildings.

People stopped to watch them in slight shock. Many strange things could happen with magic, but they'd never seen two boys and a baby running around the roof tops of Knockturn Alley.

The reason for the chase, a vial of hair color potion being mixed with Harry's shampoo, had managed to bleach all the black out of Harry's hair and eyebrows. He looked closer to a Malfoy than a Potter at this point.

"Nyah, nyah! Can't catch me!" Mikael called, stopping to stick his thumbs in his ears and wiggle his fingers.

Harry grinned evilly, pushing an extra blast of chakra into his legs and leaping forward. Mikael squawked when Harry suddenly appeared in front of him. "Can't catch you eh?" He reached out to grab the younger boy's shirt, but Mikael danced back.

"That's right old man. Can't catch me!" Harry lunged forward, but a puff of smoke obscured his vision and he found himself holding a loose roof tile.

A glance up showed Mikael's retreating back two buildings ahead of him. Before he could give chase, a body appeared beside his.

"What's up Harry? And why does your hair look like a Malfoy's?" Percy frowned at him in confusion, reaching out to touch the longish hair. Harry rolled his eyes and waved his hand after Mikael, who had vanished from sight.

"Why else? I begin to see why my own teachers didn't start on physical disguises until they had to for a mission. It doesn't help that magical ones are so easy to use either." Sighing a little, Harry shook his head. "Anyway, why'd you come to visit? It hasn't even been a week yet, you couldn't have missed me."

Percy huffed a little. "Blaise Zabini owled me to ask what a good time to babysit would be. Apparently he was watching to see who you'd let watch Jonathan and I was the only one he knew would be able to go into Knockturn Alley without a parent complaining."

Green eyes blinked, then rolled. "So he was going to set up a babysitter for me, without even letting me know about it?"

"No, it's customary for a Pureblood to check with associated people before planning a meeting. That way they can be sure any times they ask aren't likely to inconvenience you. Since the only thing he knows you'd probably worry about is Jonathan, he made sure someone you trust would be available," Percy explained.

Turing back toward the tavern, Harry sighed. "I suppose that makes sense. Do you know what time he's likely to ask for a meeting?"

"Sometime within the week. He made sure I would be free in that timeframe. I figured I'd just stay in the tavern with you until the whole thing is done. That way I'm easily on hand." The two boys jumped down from the roof, Harry holding Jonathan so he didn't get to shaken up.

"Alright. Did you want to feed Jonathan? I need to take care of this prank my darling genin has played on me." Harry lifted the baby a little, smiling when he waved his hands in the air excitedly.

Percy shrugged and held the door open for Harry. "I don't mind. You have the counter potion right?" When the younger boy nodded, Percy stopped to help him switch the chest pouch over. "Okay, I assume his food is in the bag sitting on the bar?"

"Yeah. Mark, this is Percy. He'll be around for a bit, helping me with Jonathan. He's a friend of mine from Hogwarts. Percy, this is Mark. He looks out for me over the summer," Harry introduced.

Mark eyed the red head, then shrugged. "Nice to meet'cha."

"Likewise. Thank you for looking after Harry." Mark shrugged a little, cleaning out a cup. Harry rolled his eyes at the pair and wandered up the stairs. He'd have to massage the counter potion into his scalp and then wash it out after ten minutes.

When Harry came back downstairs Mikael was spinning on a bar stool. He made a disappointed sound when he saw that Harry's hair was back to it's normal black. Harry smirked at him in return, then turned his attention to the woman that had also showed up.

She looked vaguely familiar; dirty blond hair that fell in curls to her elbows, sharp golden eyes, and torn up features. He could tell she was a werewolf by the musky scent floating around her, if the scars hadn't given it away.

"Thank you for feeding Jonathan, Percy." The redhead shrugged the thanks off, wiping baby food off of Jonathan's face.

The woman cleared her throat and Harry turned sharp green eyes on her. She didn't flinch, but Harry could see the uneasy beast trapped in her eyes. "Mark says you've found a way to control werewolves?"

He was a little shocked at how forward she was. He hadn't dealt with anyone who was that direct in asking about what they really wanted for a long time. No adults at any rate. "Yes, but it comes at a price. Why?"

She straitened up, pinning him with the hunger in her gaze. "I want it. He said it was some kind of family magic you did, can you do it for me; for us?"

Mark reached out to grab her hand and Harry's eyes zeroed in on them. Now he knew where he'd seen her before, she'd been there that summer. "You would have to be bound to someone. It would create a link unbreakable until death."

Her eyes shown with a kind of desperate happiness at the thought. "We've been together for five years, I don't think it would be to hard to continue on that way for the rest of our lives. Please Harry, can you help us?"

The dark haired boy looked at Mikael. He wasn't looking at him, but Percy's gaze burned into the side of his face.

"Can Mark hold you off, avoid being bitten, until it's done? He has to be in contact with you while you're transformed and he can't perform any magic while it's happening," Harry explained, sitting down between Percy and Mikael.

The couple glanced at each other measuringly, before Mark nodded decisively. "I could, though it might be hard."

Harry hummed a little and accepted Jonathan when Percy held him out. "Okay. I'll likely be doing this for another werewolf as well. Mikael should be able to help keep you both under control, but he's smaller than an adult werewolf, you'll have to be trying your best to control yourself; as hard as it is."

"My names Kathryn. Thank you so much for this Harry." She beamed at him and her sharper than average white teeth gleamed in the dim bar.

A plate was sat in front of him and Harry glanced up to look at Mark. "It's on the house from now on kid. If you can help her then I owe you more than you'll ever know."

Shrugging a little, Harry dug into the food happily. Jonathan squirmed on his lap, reaching up to pull off a bit of roasted apple he could suck on. When he mumbled around the mushy apple piece, Harry stopped eating and looked down on him.

"Jonathan?" The baby looked up, brown eyes curious. Harry gently pulled Jonathan's fist out of the boy's mouth and blinked at him.

Smiling a gap filled smile, Jonathan reached up to pat Harry's cheek with a sticky hand. "Papaaaa!"

The most beautiful smile stole over Harry's face. It lit up his entire person and the bar seemed to brighten a little. "Did you hear that?" He beamed up at Percy, looking happily at the others when the redhead nodded with his own smile.

"He said Papa! Oh, my boy is a genius! I knew it!" He lifted the child in the air, showing off his rather impressive upper body strength as his arms didn't even tremble under the weight.

Squealing, Jonathan smacked his father's hands and laughed himself. "Paaaapaaaa!"

Harry laughed and bounced the baby a little, then hugged him to himself. "How about Mikael now little wolf? Can you say Mikael? Mi-ka-el?"

Beside them, the younger werewolf perked up and leaned forward to listen for his name. Jonathan wrinkled his nose, then babbled a little.

Mikael wasn't discouraged though. He turned more fully to talk to the baby. "Come on Jonathan, say Mikael. Please? For your big brother?" Harry smiled a little, pleased that Mikael saw himself as Jonathan's big brother. He had started out so worried about being replaced by the baby, so Harry was very glad he now felt himself an important part of their little family.

Jonathan frowned in concentration and maneuvered his mouth to the best of his abilities. "Me-Mehauw!" Mikael's face broke into a huge smile, only matched by Harry's own grin.

"A genius!" The young werewolf crowed, hugging both Harry and Jonathan. "I have to go tell Collin and Dennis!" He placed a wet kiss on Jonathan's chubby cheek and rushed upstairs to Harry's room to write his letter.

Lost in paternal bliss, Harry simply sat there cuddling his son. Not even Percy stealing his food could bring him out of the trance he was in.

When the bar opened to customers, the regulars noticed Harry's elevated mood right away. They'd gotten used to a baby being in the bar, for the most part, but the strangely bright energy coming from Harry's cloaked form was unnerving them.

"So what's got you so happy Boss," asked one of the werewolves that he usually played cards with. Harry looked up from his hand, foot stilling it's rocking motion on Jonathan's new carrier. "I mean, you seem unusually perky tonight is all."

Harry's white teeth flashed from the dimness of his hood, startling a few of the newer guys to the group with how pointy his canines were. "My son, he said his first words today!"

There was a general round of congratulations murmured at him, and the old man threw down two cards and picked up a third. "So what was they," he gruffed, sniffing at the cards discreetly.

"Papa! Then he said Mikael, so my little cub rushed off to pen a letter to his friends." Harry slapped a hand away from his pile of pepper up potion vials. He'd bought a pack of twenty off of Madame Pomfrey when Jonathan had come down with a case of the sniffles.

It hadn't been easy to get her to sell them to him, as it was against the schools policy to let students have their own personal potions store without parent permission. They would expire soon, however, so he wasn't worried about betting some of them on a card game.

There was a general shuffling of the cards as everyone reached out to pick one up from the face down deck. Harry kept his face cheerful, even though his entire hand had now become useless.

"Speaking of cubs, why do you smell like one Boss?" The bulky werewolf who'd spoken puffed some smoke out of the corner of his mouth, his cigar clenched between his teeth.

Harry twitched a little and peered at him over his cards. "Why do you guys call me Boss?"

Barking laughter spread around the table briefly at Harry's defensive question. "It's because of what you did to that wizard, little human."

Green eyes turned from the leering fangs of the werewolves to the exposed incisors of a vampire. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Harry's face was mostly blank, save for a slight irritation in his eyes.

The vampire gave his own hissing laugh and dragged a chair over to the table of werewolves. They growled a little at him, but otherwise continued their game. Harry laid down his useless hand, not minding losing one vial so early. He wanted to make sure this dangerous predator had his full attention.

"Last summer, when the werewolf cub came into the pub. You threatened a wizard with his life and made him leave. That particular wizard was causing this tavern grief for nearly five months before you scared him off." The vampire took a sip of his drink and Harry tried very hard to not sniff the air and find out what it was.

"And before that, when the Lockhart bastard came in here blathering like an idiot. Everyone knows it was you who killed him and not the vampire you gave his body to." Harry pulled a slight face, having forgotten about Lockhart entirely.

When cards were passed out again, Harry turned back to the table and placed his one vial bet along with two galleons. The old man whistled, but didn't comment otherwise.

They each had a turn before a prim looking werewolf, or as prim as one can look in patched clothing, decided to ask again. "So, now you know why we call you Boss, why do you smell like a wolf cub? It's not strong enough for you to be a wolf, but it isn't faint enough to have come off your runt."

Harry threw down a card and picked another one up.

"Plus, there are rumors of a kid being able to give control to werewolves floating around. I can't imagine there are that many kids involved with werewolves, Boss." The cigar stub was put out, then quickly replaced with another one.

Looking around the table at the eager faces, Harry leaned back. Even the vampire looked interested in the turn the conversation had taken. Jonathan snuffled into his blankets and Harry looked down at him with a small smile.

Even wary of his card playing companions, he couldn't help the swell of pride he felt at his sons first words.

"How many of you have a human friend, lover, or even sibling that's willing to spend the rest of their lives bound to you," he murmured, letting his eyes peer through his bangs. Not even the dark shadows his hood threw on his face could hide the vibrant color.

The game almost entirely forgotten, Harry stared down the werewolves. "You have to find someone willing to be in contact with a transformed you, who could hold you off without being bitten. They have to be able to control your beast for you."

A discontent sound floated out of the carrier and Harry bent down to scoop his son up and sway gently to calm him back down. "Neither of you has to do what the other says, but it is the strength of the humans mind that lets your own shove the beasts instinct back. You'll have to live in close proximity together for the rest of your lives as well. There is no backing out of this bond."

Several of the younger werewolves listening shivered at the almost ominous words.

Thankfully, the tense silence of their little corner was broken when Mikael came barreling down the stairs. He made a beeline for Harry, worming his way between another werewolf and Harry in order to grin widely at the older boy. "Harry! Collin and Dennis want to know if they can stay the night. They said that their dad doesn't mind dropping them off at the Leaky Cauldron so long as he gets a chance to talk to you!"

Harry blinked at Mikael, then reached out to smooth down his hair as it was sticking up funny. "Well I don't see why they couldn't. You better make sure it's okay with Mark though. Strictly speaking, kids shouldn't be in taverns in the first place. We're lucky he likes us enough to let us stay."

Vibrating in his excitement, Mikael leaned forward to hug Harry. His face nuzzled under Harry's chin briefly, then he kissed the top of Jonathan's head and hurried over to the bar to ask Mark. Obviously his answer was positive, as Mikael gave a loud cry of excitement and raced back up the stairs.

Many of the faces around the table were grinning at him. Some of them, Harry knew, had children of their own. None of them could keep custody of their children, since they no longer had human status, but they still had them.

"It looks like I'll have to make this my last round guys." A rather strong woman glared at him over her cards and he flashed her a cheeky grin. "And Christine."

They finished the hand and Harry got up from the table. "I'll see you all next week, yeah?" There was a general murmur of consent, though Harry knew some of them would likely be coming before their weekly card game to talk with him. He'd have to be blind to not notice the almost hungry way they'd looked at him when he'd admitted to being capable of giving them control.

Intent on finding out when the Creevey's would be arriving, Harry climbed the stairs. He had Jonathan in his arms, the carrier dangling from one elbow. "So when will they be arriving?"

Mikael looked up from the cloak he was trying to tie on. Harry settled Jonathan in his crib and came over to help the younger boy. Mikael grinned up at him, flashing his tiny fangs at Harry. "Their owl said in about ten minutes. They were eating dinner in London because their father got off work early."

Nodding, Harry dug the baby sling out of his school trunk and adjusted it under his own cloak. Then he moved Jonathan into it, hushing the baby when he made a small fuss. "That's just enough time for us to get to The Leaky Cauldron then. Have you got your wand on you?"

The thin piece of wood was held up.

"And your new knife, just in case?" Mikael turned back to his own trunk and rummaged around in it before coming out with the steel knife. Harry nodded and grabbed his cane. "Alright. Come on then, and make sure you stay close. Knockturn Alley is crawling with dangerous things once the sun goes down."

He didn't have to tell Mikael that. He still remembered the nights he'd been forced to spend in it. Usually he could escape into Diagon Alley before sundown, but sometimes shop owners would chase him back.

On their way down the hall, Percy poked his head out curiously. "Where are you going?"

"To pick up Collin and Dennis. Their father is dropping them off at The Leaky Cauldron for a sleepover," Harry answered.

The redhead blinked, then glanced out the small window in his room. "If you wait a minute for me to get my cloak, I'll head out with you. I need to pick something up from the apothecary anyway."

He didn't wait for an answer, simply ducking back into his room and grabbing the largest cloak he'd brought. He would need to hide the fact that he was a Weasley, just in case Lucius Malfoy was lurking around the alley like he had been earlier that day.

All three of them walked out of the tavern in silence, then made their way onto the rooftops. Harry watched Percy and Mikael take off, pausing to strap his cane to his back first. He'd need it out of the way in order to hold Jonathan securely to him.

Once he was sure it wouldn't fall off, Harry put on a burst of speed to catch up with them and pulled a little ahead to lead the way to The Leaky Cauldron.

Dropping to the street just in front of the entrance to the alley's startled some last minute shoppers. There was a brief panic, the word "Vampires" spreading through the thin crowd. Harry ignored them and his companions followed his example.

They entered the pub without problem and made their way out into muggle London. Two minutes later a car pulled up to the curb and a pair of boys jumped out to glomp Mikael. Harry moved forward to lean in the passenger side window.

"I'll probably be by around this same time tomorrow night to pick them up. They have money to pay for anything they want to buy in the alley, so you don't have to worry about that," Rick said, smiling at Harry.

Harry smiled at him in return. "If you want I can take them back home sooner. That way they won't be wandering the alley to much at night. It's unavoidable tonight, but they don't have to tomorrow."

Rick looked a little relieved "I would appreciate it, thanks Harry."

The younger male shook his head. "It's fine. Don't even worry about it. I'll take them tomorrow and wait with them until you get home. That way you can be sure they got back safely."

He stepped back so Rick could roll the window back up and waved briefly as he pulled away. "Well, lets head back. Stick close to me you guys, and put your hoods up." They'd been to the alley enough times to know that they should wear a dark cloak to hide the fact that they were human children.

A brief stop at the apothecary, which only Percy entered, and they were safely tucked away in Harry's room. Percy excused himself to sleep in his own room.

"Don't stay up to late boys. You'll have to wake up early for breakfast." After warning them, Harry cast the localized silencing charm around his bed area, making sure Jonathan's crib was inside of it. A flick of his wand turned off the main lights and it wasn't to hard to ignore the dim _lumos_ spells the boys cast.

Several days later, Harry led Mikael to a small café just off Diagon Alley. Blaise had sent him an owl asking if they could have their meeting there, as it was close enough to neutral territory.

When they stepped into the building a thin, but shapely, woman stood. Beside her, Blaise hurried to stand as well. Harry bowed shortly at them, Mikael awkwardly mimicking him. "Hello Mrs. Zabini, Blaise."

They all sat down and ordered tea when a waiter came over. Mrs. Zabini's eyes flickered to Mikael, though her expression didn't change from it's blank relaxation. "This is Mikael, my bonded."

Her eyes sharpened and snapped to him. "You are married?"

Harry blinked, then shook his head. "No." He didn't elaborate, neither Zabini pushed it. When their order came they quietly sipped at tea and ate finger foods. Once both Harry and Mrs. Zabini had finished their first cup, the talking started.

"My son says that you have managed to protect the school from the first year you attended. Outsmarted the protections set in place by masters of their field, defeated a dark artifact and a basilisk, and even caught a Death Eater. It was registered as a mattered of public record that you've taken up the title of Lord, making you an adult in our world."

She paused to see if he would deny any of it. He didn't, simply pouring both of them another cup of tea. "He says you also care for a child, but I don't see one with you."

Harry looked over his tea cup at her. "I'm hardly going to bring my son to a meeting that could turn hostile m'am. A trusted friend is watching him for me while I'm here."

Beside his mother, Blaise grinned a little. Obviously he was pleased Harry hadn't mentioned his contacting Percy. She leaned back a little, obviously surprised at Harry's caution. "Well, you certainly aren't the Gryffindor Blaise and Theo always complained about."

She sipped her tea and Harry chuckled a little. "I never had any interest in either of them before last summer Mrs. Zabini, so they probably only knew gossip and what Draco Malfoy had to say about me. Considering he and I don't get along very well…" Harry trailed off, letting her finish the sentence herself.

To his pleasure, she laughed a little. "I see. Yes, Hogwarts does have a way of defining everything by their houses. Draco likely didn't even think you could be anything but a Gryffindor. Now, I understand that you and Blaise made a pact of sorts."

Harry nodded and she seemed pleased about his acknowledgement of it. "I would like for you to explain it to me as you understand it."

Thinking, Harry leaned back a little and stretched his arm over the back of the booth they were sitting in. Mikael gratefully snuggled into his side. "Well, as far as I can tell, we help each other. Things like warning each other about things that could endanger our respective clans, coming to your aid should you call for it, and backing decisions you make politically."

Again, she seemed surprised at how thought out his answer was. "Of course, not betraying each other's secrets and protecting one another so long as it doesn't endanger my clan to much are also included."

"So if my sons life was in danger and the opponent was stronger than you, you would leave him to die?" Her voice was sharp and Mikael shivered against him.

Green eyes regarded her thoughtfully. "That depends on why he's being attacked and if he even wants my help. If he's killed someone under my protection, I won't lift a finger to help him."

Plump red lips pursing, the woman looked him dead in the eye. "And if it's simply one of his brothers out for his inheritance? Or a Death Eater, Auror, or other such person going after him?"

"I will, of course, do my best to kill them." Harry didn't bother to watch her reaction to his rather harsh solution. Instead, he nudged Mikael to sit up a little more and set a full cup of warm tea in front of him. Mikael wrinkled his nose and turned his head away.

Harry narrowed his eyes "Drink it Mikael, you look pale." The young werewolf responded immediately, if reluctantly, to the commanding tone. Harry watched him until he'd downed half of it, then turned his attention back to the Zabinis.

"Well, since you've agreed to go to such lengths to protect my son, within reason, I don't see any reason to object to the joining of our Houses. I, Dominga Zabini, acknowledge and support the alliance of House Potter and House Zabini. As the Lord of Zabini, I offer friendship to the Lord of Potter." She held her wand, handle first, toward him.

Reaching out at a confirming nod from Blaise, Harry grasped the handle. She let it go and watched him expectantly. Pulling his own wand out, Harry held it the way she had. "I, Harry Potter, acknowledge and support the alliance of House Zabini and House Potter. As the Lord of Potter, I offer friendship to the Lord of Zabini."

He was thankful when the magic directed his speech. He had a feeling that miscoding this oath would be very bad indeed. Mrs. Zabini reached out and took his wand. The wand in his hand shot forward, pulling his arm with it, to cross with the one she held.

"May our battles and our triumphs be as one." Harry shuddered a little at the echoing quality of their voices as they both murmured the words. They switched wands and Harry was grateful for the familiar rush of warmth. Without another word, both Zabini's moved to pay for their tea service and then left the café.

Getting up to leave himself, Harry glanced around the room. No one was looking toward them. In fact, it didn't even seem like any of the patrons had noticed the small ritual they'd just performed. A notice-me-not charm maybe?

"Harry, we need to hurry back. The moon will be rising soon." Mikael wrapped his fingers around Harry's hand and tugged on it a little. Harry returned the hold and nodded at him.

Both Remus and Kathryn were waiting for him.

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Right, so the "bonding" is next chapter. I feel kind of bad for Remus though, I was a little mean to him. XD Please review and let me know what you think! Or, you know, if I had any typos. Cause I only read through it once and I'm always to impatient to wait for a beta now that my usual one isn't beta'ing anymore.

Taku


	20. Chapter 19

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** I dunno, I could probably pass for Rowling...maybe...with lots of plastic surgery and an audience with bad eyesight...

**Note:** Okay. I'm posting this a little earlier than I'd planned (haha, like I plan my posts at all)because it's a little shorter than I've been attempting to make my chapters. I figured it should stand alone because it was a complete event and the next bit would have made it abnormally long (which I'm sure most of you would have loved). Also, look at the bottom for **important info concerning shippuden.**

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Nervous, Remus twitched in the reinforced room. On the other side, Kathryn fretted around Mark worriedly. Her fiancé bore the twitchy witch with grace, though Sirius wasn't so mature. He sat beside Remus and watched the other pair with a poorly hidden grin.

The door opened and Mikael slipped in, carrying two large bowls full of raw meat. The pair of werewolves stared at him unblinkingly. "Harry says that this might help distract you from the humans. Easy meat usually wins out over something you'll have to fight for after all."

Not able to refute the logic, Remus didn't protest. "Where is Harry, Mikael? The moon will be rising soon."

Golden eyes looked over at Kathryn, whom Mark had pulled into his lap to calm her down. "He had a meeting earlier today. We only just now got back so he's checking on Jonathan and Percy."

Remus shuddered, swaying a little in his chair. Sirius reached out to catch him and Mikael frowned at the older werewolf. "You look ill. We can do this next full moon if you'd like?"

"No! I mean, I always look this bad around the full moon. It's better when I have the potion, but Harry said I couldn't take it." Remus grimaced and Kathryn shot him a sympathetic look. Her own moon-sickness wasn't nearly as bad, but she hadn't spent her whole life fighting her wolf either.

For the second time, the door opened. This time Harry came through and tapped it with his wand to lock down the room. "All the werewolf customers are safely locked in. I also charmed your bar shut so no one would come in while you were away."

Mark murmured a thanks, gently kissing his fiancé's bare shoulder. Neither she nor Remus were wearing clothing, though both had a blanket on to cover their modesty. When they felt the first tinge of the moon they hurried onto the floor.

Watching them, Mikael shrugged out of his open button up and shimmied out of his loose pajama pants. Harry stepped up between them and settled his hand on Mikael's head when the large wolf shook his fur out. "You watch them. I'll do Mark and Kathryn first."

Throwing Harry a slightly hurt look, Sirius didn't even notice when Mikael came to stand beside him. "Try not to get bitten before I can get to you Black, and no transforming! Magic can't be used on either of you."

A snarl from across the room made him turn away. Harry saw Mark dodge the sharp teeth going for his hip. "Kathryn!"

The gray wolf turned to him with her teeth bared dangerously. Harry snarled at her, exposing his own lengthening canines. She barked once, sharply, and her tail lifted into the air in challenge. Green eyes took the pricked up fur and the dangerous stance in; then he lunged forward.

She snarled at his attack, but when she went for his hand it was gone and Harry's human form melted into the black wolf. The pair snapped at each other, trying to pin one another to the floor.

When she lunged forward again, Harry jumped back and let his body ripple back into human shape. He snatched up his shikomizue from against the wall and whapped her hard over the head with it. She stumbled, and Harry looked over at Mark.

"Jump on her back and hold tight to her neck." Mark did so, eyes closing tight when the body beneath him gave out briefly and the she-wolf collapsed to the floor. "Good, now wrap your legs around her and don't. let. go!"

Harry hurried forward and began to form hand seals. Kathryn thrashed a little, but her vision was swimming and the weight on her back made it difficult. When a pain started in her chest, she worked harder and managed to stand back up. It didn't last long. As she attempted to turn and bite the human beside her, the pain flared and she toppled over.

Shuddery breath escaping him, Harry stepped back from the panting pair. He could see the swirling anger of the wolf being replaced with Kathryn's own mind, he didn't need to worry about them.

A yelp made him turn to look at the other side of the room. Remus was thrashing Mikael, gleefully ignoring Sirius. Sirius had moved forward to try and stop him, but being unable to transform made it very difficult. Harry snarled when Mikael let out a wolfish scream and rushed forward.

He shoved his shoulder into Remus' side, then kicked at the wolf's head. Sharp jaws clamped down on his ankle and a soundless scream made his lips part. The wolf held tightly, despite his slight struggles, so Harry threw an angry look at Sirius.

"Get over here and touch him Black, or I will kill you both!" Mikael whined on the floor behind him, but Harry didn't dare look away from the heavily breathing wolf on his leg. He saw Sirius touch Remus' flank out of the corner of his eye and quickly raced through the hand seals.

The pain was over so quickly that neither male really felt it. Remus was startled into letting Harry's leg go, however. Given his freedom, Harry stumbled back and sat heavily on the ground beside Mikael. He had black spots dancing in his vision and an intense pain lancing up his leg.

Another whine from the canine beside him had Harry reaching out with his hand to touch bloodied fur. "I'm okay." He didn't sound okay.

Mikael stretched his neck to lick at Harry's wound and the Gryffindor grimaced a little at the sting. Letting the magic shudder through him, Harry transformed again. He delicately lapped at Mikael's own wounds, cleaning them for his cub.

When an extra tongue joined his, Harry growled. The gray wolf backed away a little, her ears going back. She lowered her body to the ground and whined apologetically at him. Harry growled at her, but didn't attack at her second approach.

However, when a dirty blond wolf sidled up to them, Harry whirled away from a panting Mikael to snap his jaws at it. Remus backpedaled quickly, yelping in shock. Harry growled angrily at him and stood between Remus and Mikael.

Despite his injured back leg being tucked against his belly, the raised tail curving over his back and the bristled fur along his neck made him big enough to be frightening. Remus cowered back and whined at him hopefully.

Not feeling merciful, Harry returned it with a harsh bark and mock rush. Remus hurried back again, pressing against the wall.

Jumping between the two, Sirius barked at Harry. He'd transformed now that the binding was cemented. Harry barked back, a growl trailing the end. When Remus stayed behind his partner, and Sirius had given his own cautious growl back, Harry turned to Mikael again.

Kathryn was lying beside him, cleaning his chocolate brown head. Harry settled on his other side and finished with the lower portions of his werewolf bonded.

On the other side of the room, Mark cleared his throat. "I can heal you both somewhat, if you'd like." Kathryn perked up and stood to drag him over with her teeth. He laughed a little nervously, slightly freaked out about the werewolf's teeth being so close to him.

He looked at Harry questioningly and smiled when the wolf animagus nodded. "_Salus._" ((Mild healing charm, I made it up from some words I got off a translator)) The clean wounds on Mikael closed up, though it was obvious that the skin was very tender. Mark repeated the spell on Harry, pulling the edges of his bite marks together.

It felt like to much movement would split the skin again; almost like having stitches put in. It would work for the night though, and that was all that mattered. It should be properly healed up by the morning anyway.

The only untransformed man looked around at all the canines in the room, then sighed. "I suppose I'll have to learn to be an animagus if this continues."

A dejected Remus perked up a little at the prospect of a gathering happening again. Harry barely twitched his ears from where he sat vigilantly beside a resting Mikael. "Will this bond effect what my animal is?"

Glancing up, Harry gave a decisive nod. Mark sighed, but sat down on the floor and let Kathryn settle her large head on his lap. They remained separated into two groups, Remus and Sirius rebuked whenever they tried to integrate.

Eventually the two outsiders started a game of tag with each other and raced around the room alternately chasing one another.

When the sun rose, Kathryn hugged Harry and Mikael tightly. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. Would you be willing to help others this way?"

Harry yawned widely, then frowned at her. "Unless they could swear to never go against me, I wouldn't."

She looked startled, then glanced over at Mark worriedly. "But we didn't…?"

Mikael giggled a little, wrapping himself tiredly around Harry. The boy had yet to put on clothes, so Harry opened his robe up and covered him with it. "You didn't have to. Harry's lived with Mark for the past three summers. It's not very likely Mark will suddenly turn on him." He cuddled up to Harry's warmer body and inhaled his scent deeply.

"And because I'm now bound to Mark, I can't really go against you either." She smiled a little at the sneaky way he'd trapped her. "What if they promise not to go against you then?"

Humming a little, Harry banished the mostly empty meat bowls. "I suppose it would have to be on a case by case basis. I want to know the people I'm risking my life for." He shrugged, still feeling a little weak. His chakra reserves had been pretty strained because he'd done two so close together.

They looked worried at the admition of the danger he'd been in. When he didn't elaborate they decided not to press. Obviously he'd thought he would be okay, and had been right, so it was a moot point now.

"We're going to head to bed for a while. We should be down for a late lunch." Harry looked at all of them, making sure they knew that the conversation was done. The adults nodded; Mikael cuddled a little closer to him and whined.

Harry smiled down at him in amusement, scooping the protesting boy into his arms. It was a little awkward since Mikael was only slightly smaller than Harry.

Settling the werewolf on one side of the bed once he got upstairs, Harry moved to check on Jonathan and Percy. The redhead was doing some kind of paperwork while Jonathan played on his blanket. Harry let Percy know he was going to get some sleep until lunch, then slipped into the opposite side of the bed.

Probably feeling the heat, or maybe just wanting to cuddle, Mikael scooted over to Harry. The younger boy wrapped himself around Harry's torso and legs. The familiarity of the gesture, and the extra stressful night, lulled Harry quickly to sleep.

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I want to let you know that I'm working through shippuden in case you guys chose that. It started at chapter 245 and one manga has up to 490-something posted already. That's a lot to work on. This will make it much less likely that my updates will slow down, because I plan to have the timelines integrate before shippuden even starts. The slow down wouldn't have happened for a while anyway, so chosing shippuden likely won't effect it anymore. Only 14 voters so far with a 50-50 split. Go on my profile and let me know if I should include shippuden content or not!

Or, you know, just tell me if you think doing an AU of my own AU was in bad form. That works too. :)

Taku


	21. Chapter 20

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Translated Diclaimer:** I own these things as my own Africa. In other words, not at all.

**Note:** HAHAHA! Okay, so I was messing with Google Translate. I put this chapter in, translated it into Czech, then copy pasted the Czech and had it translate back to English. It was to hilarious reading it that way. Oh man. You guys should try it. Pick a chapter from any fan fiction and translate it. It's bound to be more amusing then.

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Groaning, Harry reached his hands down and threaded them through silky red hair. The hot mouth around him vibrated with a moan and he gasped himself. "Percy…" A tongue flicked out in response to the name and Harry arched.

He could feel pleasure building, curling his toes and up his spine. It tickled teasingly at his belly until, with a mad push, it escaped him straight into his boxers.

Unfocused eyes snapped open, then Harry covered them with his arm and groaned for an entirely different reason. In the bed next to him, Mikael turned over with a little snuffle. Harry was careful not to wake him as he climbed out and moved into the bathroom.

This wasn't his first such dream, but he was getting tired of having to clean himself up nearly every morning. Yes, he understood that he was a teenage boy just starting puberty, but it was starting to get a little ridiculous.

Spelling his clothes clean, Harry stepped into the shower. It only took three minutes for his body to alert him and he glared down at the stiff flesh. "You were never this bad the first time around. Either calm down or I'm going to cut you off."

As if in defiance, his penis twitched a little. Harry closed his eyes with a frustrated sigh and took it in hand. He was quick, not even bothering to think of anything in particular. He just needed it to go away so he could finish washing.

Freshly showered, and feeling less annoyed, Harry stepped back into his dimly lit room. Mikael had curled around his pillow, cuddling into it. Jonathan was standing up in his crib, waiting patiently for Harry to take notice and come get him.

Harry pressed his finger against his lips in a shushing motion and made his way over to the crib. "Be quiet for Papa, we don't want to wake up oniisan!"

Smiling widely, Jonathan pressed his whole fist to his own mouth and made a shushing sound. Harry smiled widely at him and quietly hefted his bag up. "That's right, shhhhhh."

The baby giggled a little and Harry hurriedly left the room so he wouldn't wake Mikael. "Niiiiishan!"

Pausing, Harry stared down at his son. Then, with a little grin, he began talking again. "_**That's right **_Jonathan_**, niisan. **_Mikael_** is your niisan and **_Papa _**is otouchan.**_" Mark blinked over at him from behind the bar when he heard the strange language Harry was speaking in.

He sat down at a stool and grinned in thanks when Mark sat a plate in front of him.

"What was that you were speaking Harry," he asked curiously?

Harry swallowed his bite of eggs and then nudged a spoonful of yams into Jonathan's mouth. "It's Japanese, or a dialect of it anyway. I'm teaching it to Jonathan." It was really a little more ancient than the Japanese he'd managed to listen to since leaving the Dursley's.

"_**You want to learn otouchan's language don't you?**_" Mark blinked again, then shrugged a little.

"Are you going to be talking to him like that all the time?" The bartender wiped down the counter, then began to count out his empty bottles of liquor.

Shrugging, Harry ate some more of his breakfast. "Probably. Why?"

Mark paused to look at him, as if to gauge his mood, then went back to his inventory. "Does Mikael know this language? Or those other two boys you bring over?"

Surprised, Harry stopped Jonathan's spoon halfway to his mouth. "No, but you're right. I should probably teach it to them as well." He frowned a little, moving Jonathan's spoon again when the baby made an impatient sound.

"Where did you learn Japanese anyway? I haven't heard you speak it before and I know none of the guys can speak it. I'm also pretty sure Hogwarts doesn't have language courses." Mark made it sound casual, but Harry could hear the natural suspicion in the man's voice.

"I've always been able to. I've just never had a reason to use it. I did this morning and Jonathan repeated me so I decided to teach it to him. Isn't this the age when things like that are best done?" He scooped some yam off the baby's face with the rubber covered spoon and stuck it back in his mouth.

Unable to argue, Mark nodded. "It is, or so I've been told. If you're going to teach those boys of yours you'll probably want something to help speed it along though."

Harry finished his food and turned his attention to only feeding Jonathan. "Like what?"

Mark shrugged, glancing up at Harry again. Sometimes he felt like he was talking to an adult, and sometimes he felt like he was talking to his grandfather whenever he had a conversation with this boy. Now it felt a little like talking to his uncle though, which was strange since he'd never had any.

"There's a potion that the apothecary down the street has for special order. It lets a mind learn any language it hears for an hour. So if you fed it to them, then talked to them in Japanese the whole next hour, they'd get a pretty good start on the language. It can only be used once for each language though."

Green eyes turned to look at Mark again. Then a small smile made the stare soften. "Would you mind ordering it for me next time you go? I'll pay, but the man who runs it tends to treat me like I'm inferior to him or something."

"NIIISHAN!" Both men looked at the baby startled, then glanced over at where he was making grabby motions. Mikael was standing at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing his eyes.

Harry let a grin split his lips and leaned down to kiss the top of Jonathan's head. "_**You're so smart **_Jonathan_**!**_"

Mikael shot Harry a startled look, but came over for his own breakfast. "Is that the language Shurachi spoke?"

They'd decided that they would refer to Harry's past life as if it were someone else when they wanted to ask him about it. Since he didn't use the name, it wasn't very hard.

Harry nodded, putting the half eaten jar of food away. He cleaned the baby up and glanced at the clock. "We'll be in late tonight Mark. The Creeveys have invited us over to celebrate my birthday at their house."

Nodding, the bartender folded the paper up and stuck it in an envelope to be sent off to his supplier. "I'll let the guys know you won't be playing tonight then. They'll be disappointed they won't get the chance to cheat you out of more potions."

Laughing a little, Harry waved as they left. Collin's father came to pick them up at the Leaky Cauldron. The ride was nearly two hours with a silence that was only broken by the occasional question and the radio.

When they arrived at the Creevey household, Harry was jumped on by a pair of excited brothers. "We managed to get a hold of some other people!"

"I hope you don't mind, but we owled Dean and Seamus." Dennis beamed up at Harry.

Glancing into the room revealed the year mates in question. "Hello Dean, Seamus."

"Happy birthday Harry!" They threw some confetti at him, which he protected Jonathan's face from with a little grin. "Zabini and Nott said that they would send their presents by owl. Nott's father won't let him go and Zabini went to make sure he was okay."

No one asked why he wouldn't be.

Someone else entered the room with Rick and Harry flashed a smile at the redhead. "Percy! I thought you had to work today?"

Blue eyes smirked at him behind thin glasses. "I did, but when Crouch found out it was my friends birthday he let me leave early. Something about keeping ties to the outside world or something." Percy waved his hand to emphasize the unimportance of his bosses reasoning.

"Well I'm glad you could come. Thank you guys for doing this." The Gryffindor hugged both Creeveys.

Rick cleared his throat and Harry smiled at him in thanks as well. The man's cheeks pinked. "Ah, why don't you boys go play some footie outside? I still have a bit of cooking to do before lunch is finished and it's a nice day outside."

They cleared out, Harry shooing them a little when Dennis seemed like he would protest. Obviously Rick wanted them out of the house for some reason. They were already imposing, it was the least they could do to spend their time outside.

So, settling on the grass in the backyard with Jonathan and Percy, Harry watched Dean and Collin teach the game to Seamus while Dennis and Mikael kicked the ball around impatiently. They'd been at it for nearly half an hour when one of the boys barreled into Percy, who'd been reading a book beside Harry.

Harry giggled into his hand, tugging a curious Jonathan out of the way of the ensuing struggle. In the end, Percy pinned Mikael to the ground. "What was that about Demidov?"

Slender fingers rescued the book from it's rocky resting place while Percy and Mikael argued. Green eyes glanced over it, then widened. A pink blush flooded Harry's cheeks and he stashed the book in his baby bag.

"Sorry Percy! I didn't mean to. But hey, since your book is gone you should come play with us! We're uneven in teams!" Mikael beamed up at him nervously, twiddling with some grass as the older male pressed harder into him.

The Weasley's eyes narrowed, his face coming incredibly close to Mikael's; almost like he wanted to sniff out a trap. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

A brief flash of panic in Mikael's eyes made triumph flicker in Percy's. "Well, you are right about my book disappearing." He eyed Harry, who'd calmed his embarrassment by now, "So I guess I'll come play with you. But! And I do mean but Mikael. I will only play for a little while."

The werewolf beamed at him, reaching up to hug the older boy briefly before squirming out from under him and racing back to the others. Harry threw Percy a smirk, mocking him for how easily he'd given in. Percy sniffed haughtily and moved at a slower pace to the younger boys.

Laughing quietly to himself, Harry adjusted Jonathan's shirt so it wasn't riding up and let the baby crawl around on the blanket again. He'd have to reapply the sunscreen again soon. Didn't want his son's skin to burn.

It was another few hours before any of them came back toward the house. Harry had enjoyed a nice nap, as well as a light lunch of sandwiches that the boys had been to competitive to stop and eat. When they headed inside for dinner it was already getting dark outside.

"Daaaad!" Collin's sweet voice caused the man to eye him suspiciously from across the dinner table. "It's really dark out, and it's getting kinda late…"

Dennis batted his eyes at his father and picked up his brother's sentence. "Can our friends stay the night? Pretty please?"

Startled, Harry looked up from the peas he was trying to get Jonathan to eat. Rick eyed them all, taking in his son's hopeful looks, Dean and Seamus' anticipation, Percy's rolling eyes. It was actually Harry's surprise that made up his mind.

"Alright, but you can't stay up all night." His stern eye was met with ecstatic squeaks from his children. The slightly older boys weren't as showy, but they were pleased nonetheless. "Harry, do you mind if I steal you for a bit after cake and presents?"

"Of course not Mr. Creevey. I've been meaning to ask you some things as well." He shot a brilliant smile Rick's way, then laughed as Jonathan squealed in reaction to his father's happiness.

Harry's presents were mostly books. Percy got him a catalogue of weapons for owl order. It was probably the most useful of the gifts as Harry had already spotted several of the weapons he'd been searching for since he'd gotten Shurachi's memories.

He was happy with the photo album from Collin, cooing over all the pictures of Jonathan and the other boys. Dennis and Mikael had decided to join together to make him a planner. It had what everyone had already learned in it so he could decide what to teach them next easier.

Dean had sketched him a couple pictures of the creatures and people he'd been interested in over the school year. There was even a picture of Ron and Draco fighting with each other, though Harry didn't look at it for very long. Seamus gave him a spell book that Harry was amused to discover had the spells for turning water into a number of other liquids.

Harry warned all the boys against giving Jonathan cake once all the presents were open, handed the baby off to Percy, and followed Rick into the man's bedroom.

"How old are you Harry?" Green eyes blinked at him bemusedly, but Rick didn't back down.

"What do you mean? We just celebrated my fourteenth birthday." He sat down on the soft bed to stare up at Rick, wondering what the man was trying to get at.

Hazel eyes narrowed in a frown. "That's not what I meant Harry. I heard the boys talking about you a couple days ago. They said they couldn't believe how old you _really _were. I want to know what they meant."

Closing his own eyes, Harry laid back on the bed. When he opened his eyes again it was to stare up at the ceiling. "I'm technically a little over 36 years old."

Rick made a choking noise and Harry turned his head to look at him in concern. "Rick? Are you alright?"

He coughed a little, looking pained. "I probably seem like a terrible parent to you, don't I? I'm twenty eight and already I abandon my children to other people."

"It's okay Rick. Not many people would have been able to handle being a father at fifteen. You were obviously around enough for Dennis to also be here, and you took care of them after their mother died in childbirth. That shows that you love them." He reached out to tug the man onto the bed beside him.

Rick snorted and twisted his fingers around Harry's. "I hardly ever see them, to busy working to spend any time with my children." He sneered at himself. "Did you know that they talk about how attentive you are to your son? They would rather you be their father than me!"

"They don't. Your boys love you Rick, what they want from me is different." He held up his hand to stall the protest that the man was going to make. "Yes, they understand you work so much to let them go to Hogwarts. However, I've been a parent since the first time I was seven Rick, they don't want me as their father. They want you to be there for them more often."

Pained eyes looked up from the olive bed spread at Harry. "Why do they always talk about you as if I weren't enough then?"

"Because you aren't." Harry noticed the flinch at his blunt words, tightening his hand to keep the man from retreating. "They talk about me so much because I'm the person who takes the most interest in them at school."

Hearing a loud laugh down the hall, Harry smiled wryly. "Well, the most adult person who takes interest in them. They tell me all about you as well. Making sure I know about this or that thing you did with them over the summer, when they were younger, or even things you promised to do with them at their next break. You're a good father, but I'm a good mother."

He smirked a little as he admitted to his old title. Rick blinked, then scrunched his face in confusion. "Mother? What do you mean?"

Laughing a little, Harry explained. "It was a joke that my father and sister started when my mother died. My little brother was about Jonathan's age and learning how to talk. So, those two decided to teach him that I was Mommy." He shrugged a little self-consciously. "It stuck and soon enough my other pups were calling me Mother or Aunt."

"But that doesn't explain what you meant by my being a good father and your being a good mother to Collin and Dennis," Rick pointed out, not even noticing when he squeezed Harry's hand to keep his attention.

"I suppose I got so used to being the _nurturing_ one, as it were, and I tend to mother the younger children." Harry squeezed back and glanced at the door when another loud laugh filtered through it. "You don't have to worry about it Rick, you're still their most important person in the world. I'm just a good supplement when you can't be with them."

The door burst open with a red faced Collin falling through. Rick quickly pulled their hands apart and stepped forward to keep his son from hitting the floor. Collin beamed up at him "Thanks Dad! Come on, you gotta see what Dean and Dennis did to Percy!"

He tugged his father out the door and Harry followed with a secretive little smile.

* * *

There you go! I think Rick is way cute in this chapter, being all insecure and such. He tooks Harry's "true age" so well because he simply assumes something like that isn't to shocking in the magical world. He's a muggle and for all he knows deaging is normal. And before you ask, yes. Percy was reading porn. 8)

Taku


	22. Chapter 21

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** My Daddy says I'm not allowed to lie, so I can't claim to own them anymore.

**Note:** Happy Father's Day to all those who celebrate it! There's still an hour of the day left here and I hope any of my readers who are fathers, have fathers, or know fathers had a good day!

* * *

The present from Blaise arrived a little after Harry got back to The Moonshine. It was in an average sized envelope and Harry opened it curiously over lunch. It was a pair of tickets.

"Who sent you those?" Mark stared down at the tickets in disbelief.

"Hmm? Oh, my friend Blaise. He said he felt bad about missing my birthday party, so he sent my present through the mail." Harry shrugged a little and handed the tickets to Mikael. The werewolf looked them over with a huge grin.

He was a much bigger quidditch fan than Harry. Though, remembering how it had felt to play on his house team, Harry couldn't help but get excited a little. There were more important things in the world, but he still enjoyed watching a good game of quidditch.

Reading the rest of the letter, Harry smiled. "It looks like he and Theo are both going to be there, which is why he got me these rather than something more 'practical' as he says."

Grinning a little at the excited rambling Mikael was starting up, Harry finished his lunch. They'd have to go shopping for some camping gear in the next week. He'd heard that some of these professional games could last for weeks.

Within the next several days, Harry was approached by the various regulars at the tavern. He was congratulated on another year of life, given a pack of rigged cards, and even offered a picture that one of their children had drawn of him.

Thankfully, they tended to leave him be if he was out and about, so when he strapped Jonathan to his chest and tucked Mikael into a light cloak they merely waved at him from their various positions in Knockturn Alley.

"What do we need to get again Mikael?" The younger boy shot him an incredulous look, but Harry merely watched him expectantly.

Golden eyes rolled. "We need to get a tent, some bedrolls, and non-perishable food to take with us. Also, can we please get some Irish team merchandise? I wanna show my colors!"

Harry laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. "Shouldn't you be cheering for Bulgaria Mr. Demidov?"

The werewolf scoffed and smoothed his hair down. "No way Harry, I'm an Irish fan all the way! You can have Bulgaria all to yourself!"

"Well then I will. And when they get the snitch I'll have you doing snow walking exercises for three days straight," Harry threatened, slipping a hand under Jonathan's bum to help steady him as they squeezed through a crowd.

Mikael groaned. He hated snow walking. It was his worst skill by far.

The tiny outdoor outfitter store at the very end of Diagon Alley right across from the junk shop was unusually full. Harry supposed that it was because the World Cup was being held in England this year.

Both children waited off to the side for some of the crowd to clear out. Jonathan was content to tug and chew on Harry's hair, so he didn't make much noise. When some of the masses did filter out, Harry led Mikael forward to look at the remaining tents.

There were three of very poor quality, even for wizards. The fourth one left was rather expensive, but it at least looked like it would stand up to a strong wind. Humming, Harry weighed his money pouch in his hand. Should he even bother with them? It wasn't like he would be using this tent for anything else.

Well, he wouldn't be unless he had to camp out in the Forbidden Forest or something. Which, now that he was thinking about it, wasn't exactly a bad idea. Maybe a little survival training over Christmas and Easter break?

Mind made up, he waved the harried looking attendant over. "I would like to buy this tent here. Also, do you have bedrolls? I wouldn't want to sleep on the ground."

The man blinked at him, at his son, then at the tent. "This is kind of expensive, shouldn't you ask your parents first?"

Harry pursed his lips and glared up at the man. "I am the parent. This is my son." He motioned to Jonathan, who was happily stuffing a mouthful of hair down Harry's shirt. Harry absently untucked the hair and flipped it over his shoulder.

Flushing in embarrassment, the man stumbled over his words. "Of course, so sorry sir! This um…the tent is…that is to say, you won't need bedrolls. This tent comes with two bedrooms, a kitchen/dining room, shower and toilet, and a receiving room. It's fully furnished, so all you have to do is buy food and toiletries."

A little surprised at the fact that tents were essentially houses, Harry nodded. "Alright. Do I need to make sure the food is non-perishable?"

"Oh no! The cupboards in the kitchen have preservation charms on them. Anything you put in them will last for a minimum of six years. After that it depends on the charms placed on the individual items themselves." The man beamed at him, obviously relieved Harry hadn't been to angry with him over the parent comment.

With a nod from Harry, the shop attendant got the tent out of it's display case and rang it up. "That will be 9 Galleons, 13 sickles, and 23 knuts."

Harry handed over the requested money, then helped Mikael strap the tent to his back. They shoved their way through the crowds to the entrance of Knockturn, dropped their tent off at The Moonshine, and entered Nature Alley.

This was one of Harry's favorite Alleys. It had the various food shops and general stores that reminded him of Konoha's early morning market. They got the supplies that they would need and returned to the tavern for dinner.

The day before the match, Harry bid farewell to Mark and led Mikael through the various alleys to the portkey point. There were several others gathered around the open umbrella already, but they obligingly made room for Harry and Mikael to grab on as well.

It didn't take more than a minute before the sickening jerk behind the navel made the world spin. Harry held tighter to Jonathan with his free arm, glad they'd set all their things up in a backpack rather than hold it like some of the other wizards and witches were doing.

A pair of men took the portkey from them when they landed. Harry stood very still as he regained his balance, Mikael gripping the wide sleeve of his over coat to keep from falling over. Jonathan was even quiet, obviously unhappy about the ride he'd just been on.

Once Harry was certain he could move without falling over, they followed the crowd toward the camp grounds. It wasn't hard to find theirs, nor was it difficult to pay the muggle at the little hut. "I'm glad some normal folk are about. There have been a bunch of strange people wandering around today. Why, just this morning I could'a sworn I saw a bloke in a dress."

Harry smiled at the old man reassuringly. "I heard there was supposed to be a convention in town. They probably all just decided that camping would be cheaper than renting rooms in a hotel."

The old man nodded, adjusting his hat skeptically. Thankfully, he didn't comment on Harry's age.

Their spot was large and Harry could see another tent already set up beside it. A little ways down the trail was a gaggle of red heads, so he assumed that the Weasleys had also gotten tickets. "Mikael, I want you to go down to the pump we saw and fill the camping kettle with water. I'll set up the tent and things here."

Nodding, Mikael put his backpack on the ground and dug out the kettle. It was tall enough that it came to just above his knees. He lifted it easily, but he wondered how hard it would be to carry once full.

Harry spread Jonathan's blanket out on the grass and settled him on it. The baby blinked sleepily at him, then grabbed one of the stuffed animals Harry was tossing onto the blanket and promptly fell back asleep. Harry smiled at his son, charmed by how cute he looked with his whole fist shoved in his mouth.

It wasn't hard to set up the tent. There were enough wizards running around doing magic that Harry just had to flick his wand at the tent and it set itself up. He snatched up Jonathan before heading a few lots down to get some ever-burning wood from the ministry provided pile.

Three logs and some little twigs were easily bundled up by the official handing it out and Harry had a merry little fire going. Only once he'd settled down on a cloth fold out chair to feed Jonathan did his neighbor venture over.

"Potter, I see you decided to come." Harry looked aver at Blaise, the rubber covered spoon slipping easily out of Jonathan's mouth.

"Yes. It's good to see you Blaise, how has your summer been?" Another spoon full of mashed up carrots prodded at Jonathan's mouth and he eagerly ate them. Carrots were one of his favorites.

Blaise shrugged a little, setting up the chair he'd brought with him so he could sit beside Harry. "It was alright. Sorry I couldn't make it to your party."

Poking at the fire so the logs were more evenly laid out, Harry shook his head. "It's alright. Was he okay?"

"No, but he is now. My mother convinced his father to let him come to the World Cup with us. We got here late last night so he's still sleeping in our tent." Blaise motioned toward the dull gray tent he'd come out of. Harry noted it with approval. Some of the things these wizards had brought were gaudy beyond compare.

Standing up when he saw Mikael appear from around a tent with peacocks wandering around in front of it, Harry handed Jonathan to Blaise and hurried forward to meet him. He didn't have the kettle.

The reason for this became readily apparent when he got closer and Percy came into view. The taller man was carrying their kettle and a pot filled with water. Harry took the kettle from him with a grateful smile. "Thank you Percy. I thought I saw your family a few tents down, but I didn't want to bother them if you weren't there."

Percy smiled in return, stopping at Harry's camp site and setting his pot of water down. "It's fine Harry. I'm rather glad you didn't head down. Ron's done nothing but complain about you and boast how you're not going to be there the entire time."

Snorting, Harry sat the kettle directly in the fire. "Do you want to come back down here after you bring that pot to your campsite? The more the merrier, as it were."

A laugh burst from Percy. He hefted the pot back into his hands and shook his head to get his slightly shaggy hair out of his eyes. He'd been growing it out recently. "I'll probably come back down here. If I don't though, your welcome to come and rescue me."

"I don't know about rescuing you, but I wouldn't mind stirring Ron up a bit!" Harry grinned at Percy, settling back into his chair. "I'll have a chair set up for you whenever you manage to escape."

The red head waved, wandering back toward his own camp. Harry accepted Jonathan back from Blaise, who'd been awkwardly holding the baby on his knee. Mikael set up the last two chairs of the three they'd brought with them.

Harry used magic to pour each of them a cup of tea, or hot cocoa in Mikael's case, when the water in the kettle began to boil. Blaise happily sipped his, noting that the little baggies the tea was kept in were very handy when camping. Harry didn't bother to tell him they were muggle.

About half an hour after Percy left, Theodore stumbled out of his tent and dragged a chair from around their cold fire pit to Harry's warm one. He accepted the cup of tea Blaise handed him with a little grunt and took a long sip.

Only once he was on his second cup did he say anything. "Morning Blaise, Potter." He nodded at Mikael, who was eating an apple across from him. "You're birthday present from me is in our tent Potter. I didn't know you'd gotten here yet."

Jonathan squealed, as if to reprimand Theodore for being unaware of his surroundings. Harry smiled down at the baby and smoothed his hair back. "It's alright Theodore, I don't mind. Though that does remind me. Blaise, I have your birthday present in my tent as well. I didn't want to send it by owl in case it was damaged."

Handing Jonathan to a waiting Mikael, Harry hurried into his tent and opened his backpack. He hadn't bothered to unpack it since they would only be there a few nights at most. A little searching produced a shoe box sized wooden chest. Harry opened it to make sure none of the potion vials had broken, then brought it with him back to the fire.

Percy was sitting in the spare chair when Harry left the tent. The green eyed boy smiled at him, and held the box out to Blaise. "Happy birthday."

Watching Blaise cautiously inspect the box was amusing, but the expression on his face when he opened it and saw the potions inside was priceless. "Potter, these…"

"I checked the rules. A student is allowed to keep a personal stash of potions on him or herself with parent permission. I already spoke with your mother to make sure you would have that permission. After all, you have people out for your life. You should always have healing potions available." Harry laughed a little, settling in his chair and watching the black boy with a content expression.

They talked a little more, somehow getting on the topic of skinny dipping. Percy was claiming he did it every summer in a pond near his house. None of the boys would believe that he'd willingly swim naked in a slimy pond though. Harry was happy enough to make breakfast for them and ignore the conversation.

"Fine then! Once the game is over you can prove it to us. There's a lake a few miles into the forest. Mother found it when she was checking out the grounds for the world cup. We'll go there on our last day and you can skinny dip for us!" Blaise smirked at Percy, expecting him to back out.

The older male leaned back in his seat and smirked himself. This little twat had another thing coming if he thought he could scare Percy with that pathetic attempt. "Sure, but you all have to do it with me. It isn't any fun if only one person is doing it."

Harry rolled his eyes and dumped the scrambled eggs into the pan. "No one will be skinny dipping. It's to cold for that now." There was some dejected grumbling, but no one wanted to argue with the person supplying the food.

Later, Harry followed Blaise and Theodore up to the top box. He was a little surprised to see a house elf sitting in a seat, but a quiet explanation from Theodore that it was saving seats for it's master drew his attention away.

Unfortunately, Fudge also had a spot in the top box. Percy had gone to sit with his family in the row below theirs so Harry couldn't hide behind the larger boy. Instead, he was accosted almost immediately.

He'd never met the man before, but he knew enough about the way Fudge worked from his previous life and from the way things were run. The man would want to show off his own country's celebrity. Maybe secure a promise from Harry to appear in some publicity stunt or other.

"Ah, Harry! It's good to finally meet you! Let me introduce you to Mr. Oblansk. He's the Minister for Magic of Bulgaria." Fudge made some strange hand motions at the minister and spoke in an overly slow voice when introducing the Minister to Harry.

Harry smiled politely, bouncing Jonathan a little when the infant began to fuss.

Almost as soon as he'd made the motion, the Bulgarian Minister's eyes were on the baby. He leaned forward to be heard over Fudge, who had turned to speak with the Malfoys. "Is this your son?"

Surprised, but pleased that the Minister hadn't tried to touch his baby, Harry nodded. "Yes, this is Jonathan Potter."

Jonathan looked up at his name, drool leaking out around the soft pretzel he was gnawing on. The man looked to Harry for permission before softly petting the thickening hair on Jonathan's head. Jonathan dismissed him and continued to chew on his pretzel, brown eyes on Mikael. The werewolf was sitting next to Theodore talking animatedly with Percy, who had leaned back to make conversation easier.

A loud voice cleared it's throat and they separated to sit at their own spots. The game was beginning. Harry barely noticed the veela, though he did reach out to stop Percy from leaning to far forward. The redhead shot him a wide grin, not embarrassed in the least.

When the game ended, Harry waited patiently for the seats to empty out. He was surprised when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Harry Potter."

"Minister Oblansk. Is there something you needed?" Mikael twisted in his seat to look as well, wide golden eyes taking in the large man.

"Yes, I would like to introduce our seeker, Viktor Krum. Viktor, this is Harry Potter." Oblansk smiled between them as Harry and Viktor sized each other up.

It was the Bulgarian that broke the silence. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Viktor bowed a little.

Harry smiled and dipped his head in return, not wanting to tip a sleeping Jonathan. "The pleasure is mine. You flew magnificently."

A small smirk told Harry that Viktor knew how amazingly he could handle a broom. "I haff heard that you also play seeker?"

Nodding, Harry stiffened his spine so he could help pull Mikael up to the level they were standing on. Viktor flickered his attention to Mikael. When Harry didn't offer an explanation, the Bulgarian let it go. "I vould like to play you one of these days. To see who is better seeker."

Laughter bubbled out of Harry's throat in a quiet chuckle. "Alright. I'd be glad to. I haven't played in a long time though. My son is more important to me than quidditch I'm afraid."

Viktor nodded, as if he couldn't imagine it being any other way. One of his teammates flew over and said something in their native language. Harry politely turned away, straightening Mikael's cloak. It was getting a little chilly.

"Ah, I must go. There is short time before the fans get to the locker rooms and then I vill not be able to get in and change." Viktor looked truly regretful, so Harry gave him a warm smile and waved him off. The seeker took to the sky like a bird.

They moved down the row to meet up with Blaise and Theodore. They'd waited for him like Blaise's mother had commanded. Harry didn't mind. He liked having the extra protection for his cub.

"What did Krum want?" Theodore asked quietly, hunching his shoulders against a cold wind.

Harry opened his own cloak to fold Jonathan into it. The baby had his own warm cloak, but Harry didn't want to take any chances. "Minister Oblansk wanted to introduce him to me. We mostly talked about quidditch."

The Slytherin nodded, having expected as much, and they finished the walk back to their campsites in silence.

* * *

The quidditch world cup is here! We're getting so close to the Triwizard Tournament! I'm so excited! Also, why didn't any of you tell me I was being a whiny little bastard in my authors notes in the sequel! I was just reading some of them, cause I'm working on the revision of it, and I annoyed myself! Anyway, please review and let me know what you think!

Taku


	23. Chapter 22

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** If I wasn't so awesome, I would tell you they're mine. But because I'm just amazing that way, I'll tell you the truth. They aren't.

**Note:** Yay, Fourth of July! This is one of my favorite Holidays, and not because I get to play with fire! Hanging out with my friends, eating delicious BBQ and generally enjoying myself! Not to mention my family's annual fishing trip!

* * *

Nearly three hours later, Harry found himself rudely awakened. Percy was hovering over him, a pinched look on his face. "Thank god you're awake. There are Death Eaters attacking the camp grounds. You have to get the kids into the woods. It's safer there."

Glancing at the tent wall, Harry frowned to see the glow of flames much to large bleeding through. "Do you know how many there are?"

Percy shook his head. Harry climbed out of bed and smiled as Mikael followed him. The younger boy had crawled in with him sometime during the night. "What are you going to do Percy?"

Surprised, the redhead looked up from the potions he was fumbling with. "I'm a Ministry official, so I should make sure people get into the woods safely."

A large smile spread over Harry's features as he grabbed his shikomizue. "Good. You can carry Jonathan."

Mikael shoved the baby into Percy's arms and led the way out of the tent. Percy trailed after them unsurely, jumping when the tent immediately packed itself into a backpack. Harry slipped the backpack on and made his way over to Blaise's tent.

He didn't' knock, simply coming in and letting a loud bang burst from his wand. Blaise stumbled out in rumpled clothes. "What is it Potter? You probably woke my mother." He seemed angry.

Not bothering to sugar coat it, Harry motioned to the still open entrance. "Death Eaters are raiding the camp grounds. You'll probably want to get into the woods to hide. Percy here can show you the way, so hurry."

Before Percy could protest, Harry turned to kiss Jonathan on the forehead. "_**Be good for **_Percy_** little wolf.**_"

Mikael grinned a little ferally as Harry swept out of the tent. "We're counting on you guys to protect Jonathan, don't let us down." His fangs flashed dangerously in the dim light and he was gone as well. Percy and Blaise looked at each other in shock.

Harry pulled his hair up into a high ponytail. "Mikael, take the tent and hide it somewhere. Once you've done that, come find me. We have some trash to clean up."

The werewolf accepted the pack and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Harry didn't bother watching him leave, sharp green eyes focused on the group of Death Eaters levitating the muggle family that ran the camp ground.

A flick of his hand pulled the filtering mask up and Harry let chakra flood his body. This is what he'd been training himself for. A real test of his skills. It was one thing to practice with his genin, and while Percy was becoming a formidable opponent, Harry needed this.

Pulling his shikomizue from it's cane-like sheath, Harry darted into the crowd of black robes. His own dark sleeping attire made it easier to blend in so long as he stayed close to the ground. No amount of blending in could hide the bodies as they fell though. The dark wizards were beginning to notice their thinning numbers.

Stabbing his blade into the back of a Death Eater's head caused the little boy he'd been levitating to fall. Harry used his own wand to slow him down. The Death Eaters stopped playing with the muggles to look around.

Harry cursed their sudden attention, letting the boy drop the last two feet on his own. It was to slow. Harry felt the tingle of someone sneaking up behind him and spun around to late. There was no time to dodge, no way he could get his blade into the other before the Death Eater got off a spell.

Then something furry smashed into the man from the side. Blood sprayed out from a cut artery and splashed over Harry's face. Harry didn't bother wiping it off since he was already quite bloody. The furry body of a wolf slinked out of the clogging smoke and Harry's face broke into a wide grin.

"Mikael! How did you manage to change? The full moon was several days ago." Mikael barked, his tongue lolling out of his already open mouth. Harry made a mental note to make Mikael a doggy version of the filter mask. Or maybe charm his to change shape with his body.

Dodging a red spell, both of them looked toward the grinning skull mask of a blond Death Eater. "How rude, we were having a conversation." Harry murmured, reaching his hand out. Mikael pushed his nose under it, enjoying the wet stroke as it pushed blood into his fur.

"Go!" Mikael smashed forward, white fangs gleaming frighteningly in the darkness. The Death Eater shot a spell toward him, but the werewolf dodged it. Harry followed behind him, a senbon snapping from his fingers and embedding itself in the hand of the dark wizard. He screamed, dropping his wand.

Mikael leaped into the air and latched his jaws onto the man's uninjured arm. The Death Eater, not prepared for such an attack, tipped forward and sprawled in the dirt. Harry's shikomizue ruthlessly pinned his shoulder to the ground.

"Lets see who you are, eh?" The man screamed in denial, but Harry reached out anyway and pulled the mask off. "Hmmm, I don't recognize you at all."

Sighing, as if in regret, Harry straightened up. "I suppose I'll have to leave your face identifiable. Wouldn't want your family to be left with any doubt about your death."

Brown eyes widened in shock, then dimmed as Harry pulled his blade out of the man's shoulder and plunged it into his neck. A short spray of blood announced the end of him. A spell ripped passed his head and Harry hissed as a cut opened on his cheek. It burned sharply, the dark magics in it embedding themselves in his skin.

He didn't have time to try and stop the blood flowing from the cut. The Death Eaters were mostly ignoring the ministry personnel, deciding that Harry was a more dangerous threat. He decided that now was the time to head into the trees. Two more Death Eaters died as Harry made his escape, another spell managing to land and cause a burning itch to spread over his back.

With the main party of Death Eaters dead and the muggles safely huddled under a picnic table, the remaining Death Eaters apparated out. Harry relaxed a little on his tree branch high above the wizards searching the woods. "Show me where you put the tent Mikael. I want to check on Jonathan, then get cleaned up."

They collected the tent and wandered through the forest until Harry caught Percy's scent. They followed it to the small group. Blaise's mother was the first to notice them. She took in Mikael's blood spattered muzzle, then Harry's equally covered face and ripped mask.

"I take it the threat is gone." Harry grinned and the distortion of his blood covered features made the two Slytherin boys flinch.

"Yes, there's no need to worry about it now. Percy, would you mind taking care of Jonathan for a little while? Just until we can clean the blood off at that lake Blaise was talking about earlier." He lifted his arms, the still naked blade glinting in the dim starlight.

Blood dripped off his skin sluggishly. He could already feel it starting to dry on his hands, flaking a little with every movement. "It's fine. I'll come with you to make sure none of the Ministry officials bother you."

Harry smiled gratefully at the red head, chuckling as Jonathan made unhappy noises. The baby could hear his daddy, but the man wasn't holding him!

Clearing her throat, Mrs. Zabini took a step forward. "We'll wait by our campsites so you have a way home if you miss your portkey." Harry nodded at her gratefully and led the way back into the trees. Percy didn't hesitate to follow him, leaping into the trees once he was sure he had a good hold of Jonathan.

They didn't notice the shocked faces of the Slytherins they were leaving behind. The thrill of leaping from branch to branch was familiar, but no less powerful than the first time Percy'd done it. It still amazed him sometimes, the things he could do with chakra that he'd never be able to do with magic.

Slowing down as Harry moved to run beside him, Percy readjusted his grip on the baby. Jonathan held onto him tightly in return. "It's just ahead. Mikael's nose has cleared up enough to smell it."

Blue eyes glanced at the panting werewolf running with them. He'd guessed it was Mikael already, but it was nice to have confirmation. He had to wonder how the boy had hidden his lycanthropy so long. Not to mention the fact that he shouldn't have been able to transform without the full moon.

They dropped from the canopy to the shore of a rather large lake. Mikael didn't hesitate and rushed into the cold water with a happy bark. Harry laughed, shaking his head at the enthusiastic canine. "Percy, would you mind setting the tent up? We'll need to dry off and change once we're clean."

"You know it has a working shower right?" Percy awkwardly spread out Jonathan's blanket and settled the baby on it before digging the tent out.

Harry shook his head, already half naked. "Yes, but it's difficult to clean blood out of tile grout. Besides, it's much more fun for Mikael if we use the lake." He flashed a grin at the blinking Percy, then jumped naked into the lake. So much for no one skinny dipping.

Halfway through Harry scrubbing blood out of his fur, Mikael shifted back into his human self. He didn't seem at all embarrassed to be scrubbed down by his partner though, so Harry continued to run his hands over the boy's face.

When he was clean, they trudged out of the lake and into the tent to dry off. A quick charm from Percy had all the lake sludge out of their hair. Once they were both dressed in warm clothes they packed the tent back up again and set off to meet with the Zabinis and Theodore.

"So, Mikael, you're a werewolf?" The boy nodded, glancing warily at Percy through his bangs. Harry listened to their conversation with half an ear, consoling a still upset Jonathan. "How did you keep it secret for so long? Surely someone would have noticed."

Mikael shrugged "Harry helps me hide it at school, and I don't have to bother outside of it. It doesn't really effect me since I can control myself during the full moon."

Looking intrigued, Percy hummed. "Is that because of the bond I heard Professor Dumbledore talking with Professor McGonagall about? He said it linked you two together by something stronger than magic."

The young werewolf nodded, ducking under a branch. They'd elected to walk along the ground now that they weren't covered in blood. It was a little to cold to be running at high speeds without bundling Jonathan up.

Harry had to twist a little to avoid his shikomizue, which was strapped to his back, from getting caught on the same branch.

"Is it because of the bond that you can transform outside the full moon as well?" Percy hitched the pack higher on his back. They'd left Mikael's in the tent, then put the tent in Harry's pack. Percy had refused to let the werewolf carry it though, saying that he'd done enough for one day.

Thoughtful, Mikael ruffled his short brown-black hair. "I think so. I'd never done it before today, but I knew Harry needed me and I didn't think I'd be able to take on the Death Eaters half as well as a human. I'm only low chûnin level after all. I guess my body knew that too and shifted into the most helpful form I had."

Percy snorted, a small smirk on his face. "Only you would think being a werewolf was useful. Is this bond something anyone can have then? Or is it just because it's Harry?"

This time Harry answered, Jonathan having finally calmed down. "I have to perform the bonding, but anyone can have it. I just refuse to give it to anyone who might use it against me one day. I don't need them able to think if they're thinking about killing me."

The redhead nodded, seeing the wisdom in that.

Silence fell over them as the trees thinned and the smell of burned grass wafted in the air. People were cleaning up, or packing up, and Harry could see groups vanishing by portkey all over the place. Obviously the officials had decided that it would be easier to bring them to the people, rather than have the people making a mad dash to them.

It was easy to spot Mrs. Zabini, Blaise and Theodore. They were the only ones not scuttling about in a panic. In fact, all three of them were sitting quite peacefully around a small fire in the empty spot Harry's tent had previously taken.

When they got closer, Blaise smiled over at them. "We figured you'd probably be hungry, so Mother started making some breakfast."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the woman. She cooked over a campfire as if she'd been doing it her whole life. Blaise laughed a little sheepishly, misinterpreting Harry's surprise. "We didn't want to set up the tent when we'll just be leaving once we finish eating anyway."

Not willing to seem rude by telling Blaise he was more surprised by her ability than what she was doing, Harry merely nodded.

"Harry, I'm going to find my family, then see if the Ministry needs my help with anything." Percy shrugged the pack off his back and waved at the group. Harry waved back and watched him disappear into a crowd of anxious people.

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Review and let me know what you think! And before you ask, Crouch Jr. got Ron's wand and not Harry's. Harry wasn't sitting in front o him this time and would have noticed his wand going missing if he had been.

Taku


	24. Chapter 23

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** No, it's not mine. None of it. Except the bits that are!

**Note:** I'll be going camping tomorrow until Monday. Also, for those of you who reviewed, Thank you! Would you readers mind telling me if you're getting story updates in your e-mail? I'm not. I wasn't even told when you all reviewed. I went to check that myself just a second ago.

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Cloth tied securely over his nose, Harry slipped into the apothecary in Knockturn Alley. Usually he'd get the student kits from the one in Diagon, but he'd seen the Weasleys wandering around the street and wanted to avoid a confrontation with Ron.

It helped that the man behind the counter was used to Harry coming into his store with a cloth over his face. He'd been very understanding of Harry's need to block out the smells, claiming werewolves did something similar whenever they came in.

"Mr. Raull? Is this your only bubotuber puss?"

The man looked up from the vials of armadillo bile he was inventorying. "I have another crate of it in the back, but it's all from the same shipment. Is something wrong with it?"

Harry hummed a little, then shook his head. "No, it just seemed like the color was off. It's probably the lighting though, since it's so much darker down Knockturn than it is in Diagon."

Mr. Raull grimaced his agreement. "You're right about that. I get my supplies from the same place as Slug and Jiggers, so if mine is bad then so is theirs."

Nodding to show he understood, Harry tucked three vials of the puss into his shopping bag. He collected a few more things, waiting for Mr. Raull to finish with the bile, then plucked an even ten vials of it from the shelf and made his way to the counter.

"That will be 4 galleons, 13 sickles, and 26 knuts." The man collected his money, then handed over a thin parchment that had a list of the things he'd bought as well as how much each of them had cost. Harry thanked him and headed out of the shop.

He was almost immediately accosted by a woman. Luckily, he recognized her as Christine from the card games. "Hey Boss, what's up?"

Shrugging her arm off of his shoulders, Harry continued down the street to the weapons shop. The owner had sent him an owl letting him know that he'd gotten a hold of several more kunai. Harry was looking forward to having something for his genin to practice with. The ones from his catalogue were to expensive to risk on practice.

"Oh? Buying more weapons eh? Smart idea, can never have to many. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm bringing my daughter with me tonight. I figure your cub and mine both need to meet people closer to their age group. Yours is about two, right?" She leaned over a display of gauntlets and Harry used the opportunity to move around her to the counter.

"Yes, he's only got a couple more months before he's two." The shop keeper came out from the back room and smiled a gap toothed smile at Harry. "You said you'd gotten in a few more of those eastern knives?"

He crouched down and when he stood up he had a bag of kunai. "These're what yer looking' fer, innit?"

Harry opened the bag to inspect them, mildly surprise to realize that they weren't bad quality. "Yes, these are what I was looking for. How much did you want for them?"

The man appeared to be thinking and Harry was glad Christine was remaining quiet. It didn't take long to settle on a price and Harry was leaving the store with a bag full of sharp objects.

"So, did you want to set up a play date?" Harry rolled his eyes at Christine's persistence.

"Somehow, I don't think it would be much of a play date if they're sleeping. Considering Jonathan usually goes to bed before our games…"he trailed off, making it obvious he thought the idea wasn't very well thought out.

Christine flushed, puffing her cheeks out a little. "Well she's with my husband at The Moonshine right now, they could play before the game. Or I could even bring her some other day so they could play with each other."

Pausing in the middle of the alley, Harry turned to look at her. "That's actually not a bad idea. Jonathan doesn't get much chance to play with other kids since he's at Hogwarts with me most of the year. In fact, the only time he would have been able to was with his previous family."

A smile stole over Harry's face and he nodded. "Yeah, alright. Right now isn't a good time because Percy is watching Jonathan and I wouldn't want to foist two babies onto him. Maybe around two the day after tomorrow?"

The woman nodded, an answering smile on her lips. "That would be perfect. I have to meet my sister, but my husband will be able to bring Rose over."

Two days later, Harry frowned over the parchment he was scratching notes out on. The gentle scrape of the quill barely audible over the sound of Jonathan chattering with his stuffed spider. Mrs. Zabini had sent it with Blaise when the other boy had visited Knockturn Alley for some books on runes.

A knock on the door signaled that Christine's husband was there. That or Mark was finally fed up with the ministry wizards that were starting to investigate the rumors of someone giving werewolves control. Since Mikael was at the Creevey's, Harry stuck his quill into the ink jar and answered it himself.

Large golden eyes peered down at him, the hesitant features of a red haired man peaking over the head of an equally red haired little girl. She was gnawing enthusiastically on the man's fingers.

"Oh, um…" The man seemed to not know what to do with Harry. "I think I have the wrong room."

Looking from one pair of golden eyes to another, Harry doubted it. "Are you here for your daughter's play date?"

Relieved, the man nodded.

"Then this is the right place. Please come in." Harry stepped aside and watched the man shuffle into his room. Jonathan looked up from the spider leg he was sucking on.

Harry smiled a little at the interest Jonathan was showing the other baby in the room. When Rose was sat down on the blanket, he pulled the spider out of his mouth and looked at Harry anxiously. The older Potter grinned widely at him.

"_**It's alright **_Jonathan**_, this is _**Rose_**. She's here to play with you!"**_ Jonathan babbled at him, throwing in a mangled otouchan every now and then. A reassuring hand smoothing down his hair was enough to embolden the toddler.

Feeling much more confident, Jonathan grabbed his spider and crawled over to her. Harry worried, briefly, that his son wasn't trying to walk yet. He should be doing so at about this age after all. That worry was put on hold when he lifted the spider and smacked Rose clean in the face with it.

"Where in the world did he learn to hit people?" Harry wondered out loud, an amused look on his face at the horrified gaping of the other man. When Jonathan raised his hand up to do it again, Harry stepped forward and stopped the spider.

"_**No **_ Jonathan**_. We don't hit."_** The child stared up at him blankly, then smiled a gap toothed smile. He had most of his teeth in by now, it was just the stragglers that they were waiting for before starting more solid food than mashed vegetables.

"Otouchaaaam eeeeeeeeee mahbababa guuh," Jonathan said very matter-of-factly. Harry eyed him critically, then let go of the spider. Jonathan didn't try to hit Rose with it again so he moved back to his desk chair.

For her part, Rose had gotten over the shock of being smacked and was now walking around the blanket. Whenever she got to close to a toy Jonathan would try to crawl over and take it away. He wasn't always fast enough, so she was amassing a large pile of stuffed animals on her side of the blanket.

"I'm Alan." The man smiled tiredly at Harry, but didn't offer his hand.

Harry nodded back. "I'm Harry, it's nice to meet you. Christine mentioned you were her husband?"

A wider smile made the man's face light up. "Yes, we aren't really married, as it's illegal for werewolves to have a bond, but that is how we consider ourselves."

"Isn't it also illegal that Rose exists?" Harry ignored Alan's stiffening to watch Jonathan sneaking up behind Rose. The toddler snatched his white bear right out of her hands and beat a hasty retreat to his own pile of stuffed toys.

He was to slow though. The older girl turned and pounced on him with a growl. Jonathan growled back so they tussled briefly before she stole the bear back and they separated. Jonathan was going to have to learn to walk before he could outrun her.

Turning to grin a little at the man, amused by the children's antics, he was surprised to find gold eyes staring him down. "Do you have a problem with Rose?" It was barely civil. Harry was momentarily glad the man couldn't shift like Mikael. He wouldn't want to be facing down a wolf with the same expression.

"A problem with Rose? No! I think she's cute, and she certainly keeps Jonathan on his toes. Rather, I'm hoping she convinces him to get on his toes since he hasn't tried walking yet. Just pulling himself up to stand." Harry held his hands out in front of himself in a what-can-you-do gesture.

Relaxing only marginally, Alan eyed him with less hostility and more curiosity. "So why did you mention her being illegal?"

Harry leaned back into his chair with a sigh. "Listen, I know that werewolves aren't supposed to have children. They aren't supposed to be bonded either, though I have already bonded two couples and have a bond myself."

"I also know that there are many more werewolves who have had children together. Born werewolves stand a better chance of controlling themselves, and often can pass for completely human without trouble." Harry rolled his shoulders and focused his green eyes on the children. They were playing an awkward game of keep away, though they didn't always seem to know what was being kept from who.

"What I'm not saying very well, is that I was worried. There are many reasons to have a baby. It just sounded like you were taking pride in that she was illegal, that your relationship with Christine was illegal, more than the fact that you have them. I see I was wrong, but I'd never met you before today and Christine is a friend of mine."

Alan relaxed back into his chair. He smiled at the children, who were now playing tug-o-war with a stuffed snake; another gift from a Slytherin, this time it was one of the bar patrons though. "I can understand that. Thank you for caring about my wife like that. She never explained though; why do _you_ have a baby? You're much to young for it to be biologically yours."

Jumping out of his chair as Rose let go of the snake, Harry moved towards his crying son. Jonathan waved his arms up at Harry. Brown eyes rapidly filling with tears glared dolefully down at Rose when Harry picked him up.

Thankfully, he quickly quieted. Content to let Jonathan hide in his arms while Rose played with the boy's stuffed animals, Harry sat back down. "He's actually my cousin by blood. My aunt and uncle have a problem with magic. When I went to get them to sign some important papers, my aunt foisted him off on me and hasn't asked about him since."

Harry smiled amusedly down at Jonathan as he began to squirm. Rose had picked up his spider and was sniffing it in interest. "My other cousin, and Jonathan's older brother, sends letters asking for pictures of him though."

Unable to take it anymore, Jonathan turned his head up to look at his father. He growled demandingly, trying to scoot out of Harry's hold. Harry let him go and watched as he scuttled back onto the blanket.

The two adults sat in silence after that. Alan didn't know how to reply to the admission of child abandonment and Harry had no desire to strike up another conversation. When the time came for Rose to leave, both children were already asleep on the floor.

"Thank you for having us. Christine said you'd be back to Hogwarts soon?" At Harry's confirming nod, Alan smiled. "I live in Hogsmeade. If you'd like, you can bring Jonathan down on your Hogsmeade weekends so he and Rose can play. She has such a small number of children she can play with since we have to be careful."

Smiling, Harry nodded. "That would be nice. I'll Owl you when I know what days we can go down."

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Please review and let me knwo what you think! Even if I don't get an alert for it, I'll still check them. Also, this is the last chapter I'll upload before the Alert system gets fixed. I don't want to many to miss out on things!

Taku


	25. Chapter 24

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Diclaimer:** I wish I had even a fraction of the money these guys makes.

**Note:** Back from camping! If you're interested in hearing about it, I'll post a bit at the bottom. In other news, my updates started working again! Thank you everyone who offered advice to me. : )

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Harry frowned as he looked around the platform. Collin and Dennis were chatting happily with Mikael about what they'd been doing in the week they hadn't seen each other. Mikael was equally enthusiastic about the attack at the Quidditch World Cup as he was about some new shop he'd found tucked away in a back alley.

Quietly, Jonathan was gnawing on his stuffed spider's leg and watching the world from the safety of his chest harness. Harry knew that he'd soon be to big for the harness and had already started looking into prams. It would be awkward, but hopefully his son would be mobile enough to not need one.

Percy followed along behind them languidly. He'd volunteered to help them get settled on the train before he had to go into work. His family seemed rather surprised to see him there, a ripple going through the group of redheads as they all noticed him.

They came to the train and Percy levitated the four trunks off of the trolley. "Lets find you all a compartment. The train will fill up rather quickly and I need to leave for work soon." Harry smiled gratefully at him and stepped onto the train.

It took them a little over three minutes to find one of the larger compartments. Thankfully, since they'd picked the back of the train, it wasn't occupied yet. Percy settled their trunks overhead and cleared his throat.

"Harry, do you think I could speak with you privately?" Harry looked up from where he was situating Jonathan in a playpen. The baby huffed, disliking the small space, but didn't pull the spider out of his mouth to complain.

Green eyes flickered to Mikael. The young werewolf grinned widely at Harry and turned back to the Creevey brothers. They seemed to be competing with each other to see who could get his attention first. "Alright."

Percy led Harry out of the compartment and glanced along the aisle to make sure no one was around. "I just wanted to let you know that the Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year." Percy grimaced, clearly showing his disapproval.

Then he seemed to become nervous, red creeping into his face. "Also, I, ah, I know that it's technically still illegal, but your really older than me so…" He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Harry's lips.

Stunned, the shorter boy lifted a hand to cover his mouth. Percy didn't wait around to see his reaction properly. He mumbled something about being late and hurried off the train. Before Harry could pull himself together enough to chase him down, the redhead vanished into the growing crowd.

His silence when entering the compartment went unnoticed for the most part. Mikael threw him a slight frown, but didn't pull away from the two boys that were telling a story in tandem now.

Shaking off the kiss, Harry wondered about the tournament that Percy had mentioned. The name itself suggested that three wizards would be competing against each other. Percy having specified where it was being held implied that more than Hogwarts would be involved.

Since he knew there were other wizarding schools outside of Hogwarts, Harry could only assume the other two competitors would be from one or more of them. Now that he was thinking about it, it seemed a little odd that the minister of another country had wanted to introduce their star athlete to him.

Had that been the start of a contact for the Bulgarian in Hogwarts? Harry knew from Ron's loud discussions about quidditch that Krum was still in school. It was entirely possible he'd be one of the people chosen to come to Hogwarts and compete.

Shaking his head, Harry glanced at Mikael. He was startled to see that all three boys were in their uniform and watching him worriedly. "What is it?"

They glanced at each other, then Collin cleared his throat. "There's only twenty minutes left. Blaise said not to bother you since you were obviously thinking very hard, but we're worried."

At the mention of the older boy, Harry glanced around the compartment. He felt vaguely uneasy that he hadn't notice Blaise and Theodore come in, nor Dean and Seamus. All four boys were watching him with some degree of amusement and worry.

"Right, sorry. Percy just told me something I was concerned about is all. If you'll excuse me, I'll go change into my robes now." Harry made to leave, only to find his way blocked.

Seamus grinned widely at him and motioned to those in the compartment. "We're all boys mate, don't gotta leave just to change." Harry rolled his eyes, but pull his robes on over the uniform shirt and pants he'd already been wearing.

Once he'd sat back down, Dean cleared his throat. "So what had you brooding? He break up with you or something?"

"What," Harry choked, a shocked look on his face. Seamus grinned a little, but it was Dean who answered unsurely.

"Aren't you and he dating? You seemed very close before and he started spending all his free time with you…" Dean trailed off at the sound of snickering.

Unable to keep quiet; Mikael, Collin, and Dennis were all giggling. Harry had a slightly confused, but mostly amused expression on his face. "No Dean, we aren't dating. I just know about something he wanted to learn is all. As for what he told me, a tournament is being held at Hogwarts. The Triwizard Tournament he called it."

The purebloods among them gasped, looking shocked. "That tournament hasn't happened since before any of us were born! Me mum said that the people in it died to often, so they stopped having it!" Seamus gaped openly at Harry, for lack of something more relevant to gape at.

"Yes, well, apparently they've decided to start it up again. I'm assuming foreign wizards will be coming to Hogwarts as I can't imagine having only three competitors when there are four houses if it was strictly a Hogwarts tournament." Harry scowled at Seamus until the Irish boy closed his mouth and mumbled an apology.

It was raining when the train pulled in and Harry tucked Jonathan into his cloak to keep him dry. The boy fussed a little, but he'd become used to being tucked away like that so he quickly settled. The ride up to the castle was filled with Blaise and Theodore quietly explaining the history of the tournament. Harry was concerned with how dangerous it seemed. What if something got out of hand and his cub was hurt?

Stepping into the entrance hall was chaos. Peeves had somehow managed to get a hold of water balloons and was dropping them on all and sundry.

"PEEVES! Get down here this instant!" The clipped tones of an angry McGonagall drew all eyes. That is, until Peeves dropped another balloon. Harry calmly made his way toward the Great Hall, ignoring the shrieking students around him.

His genin, seeing the path Harry was cutting through the crowd, quickly fell into step behind him. When Peeves made to drop a balloon on Harry they all stopped to watch. So far, he and his group were the only ones not wet.

The balloon dropped from the cackling poltergeist's hand, falling straight for them. Harry's eyes flashed with a kind of mischievous irritation. Coating his hand in chakra to prevent the balloon from popping on impact, Harry reached out and snatched it from the air. Then, before Peeves could get over his shock, he threw it straight back.

With a small pop and loud splash the balloon exploded in Peeves' face. The expression on the dripping creature as Harry and his group continued on was priceless.

Once they were all settled at the table, Harry set about making sure everyone had weathered the storm outside alright. By the time the sorting had started Jonathan was already happily settled on his lap and sucking juice out of a sippy cup.

He listened with half an ear as students were sorted and Dumbledore gave his speech. He was amused to note that the entire hall was shocked, except for Slytherin table, when the Triwizard Tournament was announced.

"And while I'm sure you are all eager to put your name forward to compete, the other schools and the International Wizarding Relations Department have decided that only those who are of age -that is to say seventeen- may enter the tournament." Harry chuckled quietly as the Weasley twins groaned in disappointment.

There was a few more explanations then Dumbledore sent everyone to bed. While he was waiting at the back of the group for a prefect to open the common room, Harry heard his name called. McGonagall was climbing up after him, an annoyed expression on her face.

"I have been calling your name since you left the Great Hall Mr. Potter." She glared at him, as if it was his fault he couldn't hear her over the din of the students. And ok, maybe he had been ignoring the frustrated calls a little bit.

"Sorry Professor, I couldn't hear you with all the noise everyone was making." He smiled sheepishly at her and McGonagall's face softened.

"That's quite alright then, Mr. Potter. The Headmaster wished to see you in his office tomorrow before breakfast. His password is Fizzle Flowers and he said you're welcome to bring Jonathan with you." She eyed the sleepy child on his hip with a little resignation and slightly more warmth.

The stern professor had made it very apparent that she didn't think he should be taking care of a child at his age, but as it hadn't hurt his grades last year and baby seemed perfectly content McGonagall was much less worried this term.

Harry nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind Jonathan's ear. "Thank you Professor, I'll be sure to get there. Should I ask a house-elf for breakfast before I go or do you think I'll make it back in time?"

She shook her head, somehow not surprised that Harry knew about the house-elves. "I'm not sure what the meeting is about, so you might want to ask for breakfast."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Professor. I'll need to get to bed if I'm to wake up early tomorrow." He waited for her to nod before heading toward the entrance to the common room.

"The password is Balderdash, Harry. I wasn't sure if you heard it when you were talking to Professor McGonagall." Harry smiled in thanks at Collin, stepping passed him through the portrait hole.

Jonathan murmured sleepily on his shoulder at the noise of Gryffindor house greeting each other. Harry nodded at those students he was acquainted with and climbed the stairs to the fourth year boy's dorm without saying anything. He could hear the first years asking the prefects why he had a baby.

The scent of Dean and Seamus tickled his nose as Harry was laying Jonathan down in the toddler bed which had replaced his crib. "Jonathan is hardly a baby anymore, no matter what the first years say. Dennis says he talks rather well for a one year old?"

Harry nodded, quietly casting the silencing charm around his sleeping area. "Yes, he can say quite a number of words now."

"Dennis also said you're teaching him another language. That you'd be teaching them as well. I think it was Japanese?" Harry nodded and Dean cleared his throat. "Would you mind terribly much if you taught us? Since Jonathan is learning it, and we'll probably end up watching him again for you, it would be good if we could understand and help him when he spoke it."

Thoughtfully, Harry stared at his friends. They had been there for him all of last year, even when Ron and Hermione hadn't been. They'd watched over his cub much more often than anyone else in their dorm too. He knew they were curious about what he did with Percy and his genin.

"What do you know about power outside of magic?" Harry sat down on Neville's bed to look at the pair. Seamus had already started unpacking his things, but Harry knew he was paying attention by the thoughtful look on his face.

"Do you mean stuff like electricity," Dean asked?

Harry shook his head. "No, this is a form of energy that you control and generate. It's called chakra."

"The energy of the body and spirit." Both muggle raised wizards turned surprised eyes to Seamus, who flushed a little under the scrutiny. "Me mum used to research this sort'a thing. She liked to tell me about it."

They nodded and Harry moved to his own trunk to pull out one of Jonathan's chakra puzzles. "Well I can use it. I've been teaching Percy and the boys how to use it as well. It's easier for me if I give them scrolls on it in Japanese, since that's the language I learned it in, so they've agreed to learn it."

He showed them that he'd written on the toy in Japanese as well. "A friend of mine is going to send me a potion that will help with that. He hasn't gotten it in yet, so I could ask him to send two more if you'd like."

Dean grinned "You better make it four more. Zabini and Nott won't be very happy with you if all your Gryffindor's can speak a language that they can't understand."

"My Gryffindors?" Harry raised an amused eyebrow and Dean blushed a little.

Rolling his eyes, Seamus tossed a pair of pajamas from Dean's trunk at his friend. "Yes, your Gryffindors. Who else would we answer to, eh? Lookin' after your little bit might as well make us his uncles!" Harry laughed, but didn't disagree. It was kind of nice, almost like having a pack of his own again.

"Alright, I'll ask him to get us four more vials of the potion. You can only use it once for Japanese though, so after the first hour you'll have to learn the regular way." The pair nodded, as if they'd expected as much, and all three of them settled into their beds.

Sometime later Ron and Neville came in. Harry could hear Ron whispering furiously at Neville about not looking at his sister that way. He didn't know what Neville had done, but he hoped whatever it was came back to bite Ron in the ass.

* * *

So what did you think? I just love Percy! Also, he won't be going the way of Koishi, so don't worry! Right then, my camping trip. I can sum it up pretty easy. My large red friend asked for alcohol often, played his guitar, and watched me and my short Yugioh friend set up the camp. My short Yugioh friend flirted outrageously with both of us. I seemed to be the only one that knew what the hell to do while camping. Then it rained and we spent all of sunday in the tent. I didn't get a sunburn. Pretty boring all in all since neither of them fish, which is my second favorite past time, and there wasn't really anywhere to hike.

Taku


	26. Chapter 25

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** -sulks-

**Note:** So I made a discovery. There is a section on here for Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name fanfics! HINABN is a web comic about a spaz-tastic paranormal investigator and his zombie partner! Not to mention a masochistic doctor, a shitsu sized werewolf, and countfagula (who insists he isn't gay when he is). It's super awesome and you should check it out! I'll put a link on my profile. Oh! I'm also thinking about changing it to an IbikiHarry story since it's kind of become my obsession. What do you guys think?

* * *

The next morning Harry made his way to the headmasters office alone. Dean had been only to willing to watch Jonathan if he woke up before Harry got back. Wiping the crumbs of his breakfast from his hands, Harry quietly gave the password to the gargoyle. He didn't know why, but he always had the urge to whisper when the halls were empty.

"Ah Harry my boy! Good morning, good morning. Tea?" Harry twitched a little, but politely declined. It was way to early in the morning for how bright the headmaster's robes were. "Where is young Jonathan then?"

"Dean volunteered to watch him for me since I didn't think waking him at this hour, when he already had to get up early so we could get everything done yesterday, was a good idea." Harry took the offered seat and glanced curiously at the man and woman sitting in the other chairs.

The door opened again and a Hufflepuff came in with a big yawn. "Mr. Diggory, how are you this fine morning?" There was a mumbled reply and the boy sat down between and the man and woman. Harry assumed they were his parents.

After a few seconds of the headmaster merely sipping his tea, Harry rolled his eyes. "It looks like you have a student and his parents here professor. I don't know any of them, so why was I called up. If you accidentally scheduled two meeting for this morning then I'll gladly head back down. I wouldn't want to worry my son when he wakes without me there."

Surprise flickered comically over the headmaster's face. "Why it is because of young Jonathan that we're here my boy! I know you were quite cross with me last term and I apologize. I shouldn't have simply expected you to hand him off to complete strangers! That's why I've arranged for you to meet the family that has agreed to take him in!"

Dumbledore beamed proudly, as if he had just solved the hardest puzzle in the world. Harry stared at him incredulously. "You really are a barmy old codger, aren't you?"

"Well I have been known to answer to such, yes." Dumbledore chuckled at his own joke and sipped at his tea happily. Harry turned to look at the slightly shocked family and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but my son is not up for adoption. I don't know what the headmaster has told you, but I'm not in need of another family for him." Harry folded his hands primly in his lap, discretely palming the kunai he'd had strapped to his wrist. If the headmaster tried anything, Harry wasn't going to simply incapacitate him.

The woman looked terribly surprised. "Well, I suppose that's alright. We were under the impression that you had asked him to help you find a suitable family for your…son. I hope you forgive us for making it seem like we were trying to take him from you."

Dumbledore's contented expression was slowly morphing into something much more forced. "It's quite alright. I know you likely had no idea that I was against the whole thing." Harry waved off her apology, much to tired to really care beyond the fact that she wasn't going to argue with him.

She smiled at him warmly. "Thank you. I know you're quite young to be taking care of a child, so if you ever need any advice please let me know. Cedric here knows how to get a hold of me. We have Owl Wards up around our house so they can't get in you see."

Harry nodded his understanding and watched the woman stand. Her husband followed quickly, a jaw popping yawn doing nothing to make him look more alert. The Hufflepuff yawned as well, then offered a sleepy smile to Harry.

"If that is all Headmaster?" The old man frowned so Harry smiled at him. "Great. It's about time for breakfast to start then!"

"Why don't you stay for breakfast Amos, Amelia? I'm sure these young men wouldn't mind showing you to the Great Hall and it's only fair to feed you since it's my fault you missed your own breakfast," Dumbledore called.

None of them acknowledged him. At the bottom of the stairs Harry pealed away from the small group with a quiet goodbye.

When he got back to the tower, Jonathan was waiting anxiously for him in the common room. He hadn't stepped through the portrait hole for more than ten seconds before the boy was pushing himself to his feet and running toward Harry.

Mikael and Harry gaped at him, but excitement pushed through quickly. "Jonathan! _**You're walking! Well, running, but still! Were you just waiting to surprise your papa? My little genius**_!" People in the common room stopped to stare at him in shock when the foreign language came out of his mouth.

He didn't care about that though, to busy swinging his son into his arms and spinning them around excitedly. Dean and Seamus, who had gotten Jonathan dressed and brought him down, were grinning widely at Harry as well.

Once the excitement had dwindled to infectious grinning rather than delighted laughter, they made their way down to the Great Hall. Jonathan was content to be tucked into his father's side, tired from his sudden run. When they were all settled and food had appeared, Collin turned his head a little to talk.

"What classes do you have today Harry?" Harry glanced at him, an eyebrow raised as he continued his conversation with Seamus about what he'd been doing that summer. Collin flushed, not having realized Harry was already talking with someone.

Amused, Seamus flashed the younger boy a grin and motioned for Harry to answer once he'd finished explaining how Blaise had given him tickets to the Quidditch World Cup.

"Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. I'm thinking of dropping Divination though, because the fumes up there upset Jonathan." He tugged lightly on a long curl of baby-fine brown hair and smiled when the boy looked up at him curiously. Not seeing anything interesting, the toddler shoved another handful of shredded pancake in his mouth.

The last class of the day, Divination, took place right before dinner. Harry left Jonathan in Mikael's care and went up early to have a chat with Trelawney.

"Professor, are you up here?" Harry hesitantly stepped into the classroom, green eyes watching the shadowy corners keenly.

Because he was searching for it, he wasn't shocked when the woman seemed to appear from nowhere. "Mr. Potter, hello. You're a bit early dear."

Her voice was as solid as the smoke raising from any number of incense around the room. Harry smiled cautiously at her. "Yes Professor. I was coming to let you know that I'm dropping your class."

Buggy eyes widened behind too big glasses. "Why ever for? Surely your lack of success in the past hasn't convinced you of this? It sometimes takes years for people to discover their gift!"

"Well, you see, my son is irritated by the incense in the room and since none of his usual minders have a free period when I have your class…" he trailed off, shrugging a little.

Trelawney gave him a put-out look, but nodded. "I saw something like this coming eventually. Very well, you may withdraw from my class. But dear boy, you must be very careful. Faefolk have been known to make off with human infants in the night."

She patted his arm and wandered back into the shadowy corner that hid her office door. Harry didn't stick around much longer after that. Mikael had a class coming up and he was looking forward to an early dinner and quiet night.

Several days later, while waiting for Professor Moody to open the classroom door, Harry listened to Seamus and Dean talking about Moody turning Malfoy into a ferret. Apparently the night he'd decided to turn in early was the most entertaining night Hogwarts had ever seen.

"Alright you lot, get in here!" Several Slytherins jumped in fright, but they all filed into the classroom.

Moody eyed them suspiciously as they settled in their desks. "Potter! This is no place for a baby!" Harry glanced dispassionately at the scarred man, not even a little intimidated. After a persons worked with Ibiki, they tend to not have normal fears.

"I have special permission to keep him with me. If you believe this lesson will be to dangerous for him then I'll gladly step out of the room Professor." A gnarled lip lifted unhappily and Moody brandished his wand with a flare that was startling.

"Then you can be the first example for our lesson, _imperio_!" A calm fog descended in Harry's mind, the serene blowing of wind through the trees making him relax.

He could hear a strange whisper on the wind, not quite loud enough to hear. "_Take the child out._" Harry frowned, he didn't see any child. "_Take it out of my class._" Class? All there was in the whole world was trees and wind.

Besides, if he was going to take orders it certainly wouldn't be from some disembodied whisper. Only the Hokage could command him, and even that was questionable these days. He wasn't really Inuzuka Shurachi, head of the Inuzuka clan after all.

"_Take the child out of my classroom, Harry_." Thats right, he was Harry now. Harry Potter. Bonded partner of Mikael Demidov, frequent customer of The Moonshine, legal father of Jonathan Potter…Jonathan! This voice wanted him to do something to his son, take him out of a room.

"_If you do not take him out, I will practice the pain curse on him._" NO!

Harry snarled as the magic of the spell sparked off of him. Elongated fangs flashed threateningly at Moody, the marks on his body darkening and beginning to creep up his neck. Thankfully, his hair hid the advancing pattern.

"You will do no such thing!"

Moody raised his wand again and Harry shoved his son into a startled Dean's arms, then launched himself at the Professor. Moody gasped in surprise, but recovered fast enough to get off a spell at Harry.

It slashed his arm and threw him back against a wall. Harry shook his head to get his wits back, then pushed forward again. This time he held a kunai in his hand ready to go in for the kill. This vile creature had dared attack him! Had threatened to attack his cub!

"Harry!" He wasn't deterred, though he recognized the voice as friendly. Seamus could help Dean protect his cub while he took care of the threat, perfect.

A body slammed into his side as he was bunching his muscles for another leap. "Harry, calm down!" His partner, Mikael? But the boy wasn't in his class…

The haze in his mind cleared at the strangeness of Mikael being there. "Bloody hell Harry!" Green eyes turned to a pale Ronald Weasley, then dismissed him.

"Are you alright now Harry?" Mikael wrapped his arms tightly around the older boy, large golden eyes staring up at him imploringly.

Harry twitched, nodded once sharply, and quickly moved to pick up Jonathan. Mikael stayed wrapped around him the whole way, helping to calm him down. "Can I use your notes later Seamus?" The Irishman nodded, eyes wide with shock.

Smiling tightly in thanks, Harry left the room. Mikael paused long enough to scoop up Harry's bag and followed him.

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I'm not totally happy with this chapter, but after 8 different versions of it I'm just gonna give up and post it. T-T Let me know what you think!

Taku


	27. Chapter 26

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** Murrrrrrrr…

**Note:** Before you guys freak out, there is a reason Harry didn't get in trouble for attacking "Moody" the way he did. And it's not because Dumbles doesn't know about it. Also, I got World of Warcraft back! Yay!

* * *

For the next several weeks all anyone could talk about was Harry's sudden loss of sanity in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry didn't return to the class, though he did all the homework for it. It wasn't until the professors posted the date that the other schools would be showing up that the rumors fizzled out.

Harry was in the library studying for the upcoming Defense test, which he would have to go to the class to take, when an owl landed on his table. He stared blankly at it for several minutes, absently moving a pile of books out of Jonathan's reach when the toddler came to look at the bird.

It hooted at him. He glanced down at the offered leg and finally took the rolled up note. The creature preened itself while Harry read. When he was done he eyed the bird as if it were his next meal. "So they want to meet with me next week?"

The owl cocked it's head at him curiously and he snorted at it. "I take it you're waiting for a reply? Alright, give me a sec." He fished a clean piece of parchment out of his bag and scribbled on it, then used a spell to dry the ink before tying it to the owl's leg. "Take this to Remus Lupin, not Sirius Black. I don't need him throwing a fit before Lupin can even see it."

Huffing, as if to reprimand Harry for thinking so little of it, the owl took off into the library. Jonathan made a questioning noise, watching the direction the bird had gone. "Owl!"

A wide smile took Harry's face hostage. His annoyance over the letter was washed away completely by the adorably bewildered look on his son's face. "_**It'll be back later **_Jonathan, _**I'm sure**_."

"Harry!" The cry drew Harry and Jonathan's attention, as well as Madam Pince. She pursed her lips at Collin. "Harry," the third year panted, his voice quieter now that he was closer to their table. "The other schools are set to arrive in the next couple of minutes. Mikael said you would want to be there and sent me and Dennis out to find you."

"Oh? I thought the teachers would be taking students down to greet the schools?" Harry flicked his wand to send the books he'd been using back to their shelves. Pince's lips thinned even more, but as they were preparing to leave she decided to simply let him pack up rather than lecture him.

Harry picked up Jonathan and started out of the library. "Did they decide to just let the students come on their own?"

"No, McGonagall came and got us. We snuck back once she had everyone in the entrance hall. Since she didn't seem to notice you were missing, we thought we'd make sure Dumbledore hadn't managed to corner you." Collin waved down Dennis as the younger boy went running by. "I found him Denny!"

The trio joined up with the entire student body of Hogwarts not two minutes later. Mikael was watching for them with an anxious frown, but his face brightened when he saw Harry. "I was worried you wouldn't make it, the students toward the front were exclaiming about Beauxbatons landing."

He pointed to the top of a powder blue carriage, which was all they could see from the very back. It was massive and Harry saw why when a woman the size of Hagrid came through into the school with blue clad children following behind her like lost ducks.

It was slightly humorous to see that several of them were shivering and clutching thin wisps of cloth to their heads and necks. As if something so flimsy would protect them from the chill of the Scottish fall. A few seconds later excitement whispered through the crowd and they turned toward the lake.

Harry turned as well, able to see as the three boys in front of him were shorter than he was. A black mast, followed quickly by an equally dark ship quietly slipped out of the waters of the lake. It caused the waves to beat more heavily on the shoreline, drowning out the murmuring of the crowd.

Dark shapes disembarked to make their way toward the Hogwarts group. As they got closer Harry could see that the clothing they wore was lined with fur. It reminded him vaguely of the Inuzuka coats he'd worn throughout his time as Shurachi.

He kind of missed it. Mikael was much to big to carry around in a coat, but maybe he could get a summons animal to ride around in it. Not cats this time, as they were much to picky. He'd try for dogs, but Kakashi had that contract and it would be odd if he asked for it.

"Hello again." Green eyes focused on the smiling face of Viktor Krum. He was standing in front Harry with an annoyed looking man, presumably his headmaster. The other Durmstrang students stood behind them, patiently waiting.

Hands were clutching at his robes, which were just slightly to big for his thin frame. "Hello Mr. Krum." Harry smiled back and motioned to the huge doors that stood open behind him. "Don't let me keep you."

Viktor shook his head and motioned for Harry to come with him inside. "The cold is not good for baby, yes? You come in also."

Unwilling to argue about it, Harry fell into step with Viktor. Mikael and the Creevey brothers kept their hold on Harry's robes, careful not to hinder his movements but still attached in the face of an entire foreign delegation.

The tables began to fill out and Harry turned to sit at Gryffindor, but Viktor's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "You vill sit vith us, yes? There are so many faces, it vould be nice to haff a familiar one." A quick glance at his own half-full table, and the looks it was sending him, pushed Harry to sit at the Slytherin table.

Most of the Durmstrang students had already settled. There was very little mixing of the schools, but a few Slytherins here and there were amongst the foreign students. Viktor sat Harry at his right, which left Mikael, Collin and Dennis to sit between Harry and Blaise. He and Theo being the start of the Slytherin portion on that side of the table.

"Potter!" Harry looked up at a red faced Malfoy, then turned unconcernedly back to filling his plate; half with easy to eat food for Jonathan and half with his own favorites. "Potter, you can't sit here!"

"And vhy not?" Viktor frowned at the rude blond boy sitting across from them. "He is my friend, I haff asked him to sit vith me. Who are you to send him avay?"

Harry flicked his longer sleeves out of the way and began to delicately eat the food on his plate. The house elves had taken into account the fact that not all the new students would want English faire and had made some dishes native to their countries.

With all the odd food already going onto the tables, they'd managed to slip in some things from the other countries Hogwarts students came from. He was delighted to be able to eat edamame (_eh-duh-mah-may _boiled baby soy beans) again. Harry smiled a little when he noticed Viktor tentatively try some, then put several more on his plate.

"He isn't supposed to sit here. He's a Gryffindor, he should be at his own table!" Draco sneered, looking at the younger Gryffindors lined up beside Harry.

Viktor paused in filling his plate to frown at the blond boy again. He'd thought the matter taken care of when he'd said that he'd invited Harry to sit with him. "Is there a rule vhich keeps him from sitting vith me?"

Uncomfortable shifting from Malfoy made Harry bite back a smirk. "No Viktor, there isn't. It's simply tradition for the students to eat with their house. It is similar to a family coming together at the dinner table." Jonathan made to grab a handful of mashed potatoes, but Harry stopped him and scooped some up with the spoon instead.

The child took it carefully and shoved it in his mouth, managing to smear it over his face anyway. Viktor hummed, a smile twisting his features at Jonathan's antics. "Then there is no problem. You vill sit vith me and eat tonight. I vill sit vith you and eat tomorrow."

Harry laughed quietly at Viktor's solution, but didn't contradict him. If the Bulgarian wanted to eat his meals with Harry tomorrow then he'd let him. It didn't bother the Gryffindor any.

For the rest of dinner there was only small talk. None of the Slytherins felt confident enough to protest the four Gryffindors sitting with them after Draco had been soundly dismissed. Blaise did discretely unhex the food on the younger Gryffindor's plates though. Harry was aware enough that nothing managed to make it to his own food.

At the end of dinner Viktor convinced Harry to walk him down to the school's huge doors. Jonathan was excited to walk beside them, though he frequently hurried to grab Harry's hand whenever he heard a strange noise.

"I did not know vhy Oblansk vas introducing me, but I am glad he did. It vas good to haff met you before this Harry. Ve eat breakfast and lunch on the ship, but you are velcome to join us. Dinner is vith the other schools in your Great Hall." Viktor pushed the big doors open and stared out at the dark grounds.

Other foreign students were starting to arrive now and Jonathan tugged at Harry's hand uncertainly. Harry swung the child into his arms with a reassuring huff. "We'll see Viktor. I should be getting to Gryffindor tower. Mikael is likely to be worrying over me even if he knows I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Green eyes rolled and Viktor grinned at his exasperation. "Good night then, Harry."

"Good night Viktor." Harry watched him leave with the Durmstrang delegation then turned to make his way back into the castle.

At breakfast the next morning a sleek gray owl landed in front of Mikael. It wobbled a little, it's balance thrown off by the package clutched in it's talons, then hopped off the box and inspected the werewolf's plate.

Mikael looked over the box until he found the name of the person it was supposed to go to. "Harry, this is for you. It says it's from Mark."

The older boy reached out and grabbed the package. He was sitting across from Mikael, who had Collin and Dennis on either side of him. Dean and Seamus leaned over on either side of Harry to look in the box once he'd opened it. Seven bottle of murky brown potion glinted up at them.

"Oh good. I was beginning to worry that he wouldn't be able to get a hold of them. Dean? Would you mind getting Blaise and Theodore after breakfast? We have History of Magic so we can take care of you four then and I'll do the boys later." He closed up the box and deftly moved his hair out of Jonathan's grabbing range. He didn't want porridge in it.

A commotion by the Goblet of Fire, which Dumbledore had announced would be out this morning, drew everyone's attention. The Weasley twins, looking a little older, were crossing the Age Line. Harry rolled his eyes and looked away. If they managed to get past it then obviously it wasn't a well made precaution.

People started to laugh so he turned to look at them again. A smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth when he saw the beards they had. "That's a good look for you Fred, George! You should keep it!" The Gryffindors seemed startled at Harry's loud voice, but the twins merely gave him a thumbs up. They'd not bothered getting into his business and had even stopped messing so much with Percy when he'd begun to help with Jonathan.

Blaise and Theodore were happy enough to meet up with him after breakfast. They talked a little about who had already put their names in and who they thought would try. Eventually their conversation came around to the reason Harry had wanted to see them.

"I don't know if Dean or Seamus told you, but I'm teaching the boys about chakra." Harry watched as understanding flickered over Blaise's face. Theodore looked thoughtful, but not confused. "Because I learned to use it in Japanese, there are certain things I only know how to explain in that language. A friend of mine sent me some potions that will help them learn the basics of Japanese and I had him get enough for you two as well, at Dean's suggestion. Since Jonathan is learning the language as well it would be helpful for you to know it."

The Slytherins glanced at each other, then at the box Harry was holding. Jonathan had a hand tangled in Harry's robe and was staring up at them with wide brown eyes. "Poshon." He bounced a little, using his hold on Harry's robe to keep from falling over.

When he was smiled at Jonathan grinned back then stuck his thumb firmly in his mouth. Everyone was happy, his Otouchan was here, and he felt very content. The rest of what his otouchan said was ignored in favor of looking around the room they were in.

It was just like all the others; gray and uninteresting. He paid a little more attention when his otouchan began talking the other way. It was different from what everyone else talked like, but he enjoyed the sound of it. His watchers were all looking at something, huddled together around it, while his otouchan read from his own paper-y thing.

Since they were distracted, Jonathan moved away from his otouchan and explored the room. There was a fuzzy creature living in a crack in the corner. It made him sneeze so he didn't bother with it. Some chairs were scattered around and he gleefully climbed on them.

The view from further up wasn't much better. After sitting in each chair he wandered back to his otouchan and tugged on his robe. Otouchan didn't stop talking, but he did lift Jonathan into his lap.

The child was interested to notice that his watchers and otouchan had all sat down at some point. The chairs seemed to be much more interesting to older people since they were staying in them.

He drifted off to sleep with his otouchan's soft voice floating around him.

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I'm so excited guys! We're getting there, to the good part of the story! Not that the whole thing wasn't good. :P

Taku


	28. Chapter 27

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** I may have more Vanity Pets than I know what to do with, but I have no rights to the stories I'm bastardizing.

**Note:** It's been a while, yeah? I'm still working on it, but it's going slowly because I've started getting really bad headaches again. Plus, I'm trying to get enough gold in World of Warcraft to buy epic flying. I need 5000g. It's a lot. D:

* * *

They finished their classes for the day and Harry smiled at Viktor when the older boy sat down across from him at Gryffindor's table. They would be announcing the champions tonight. Dinner was spent tense and quiet, Viktor stoically anxious about his name coming out and Harry silently supportive.

Once all the food was cleared away and everyone had had their fill of desert Dumbledore stood. "Tonight the Goblet of Fire chooses those three champions of skill to represent their school! If the champions will please go through that door there when their name is called?" There was hushed excitement throughout the room as the Goblet spat out the first name.

"Fleur Delacour!" A beautiful blond girl stood amongst applause from her school. She made her way into the little side room off the Great Hall.

It flared again, a piece of paper fluttering out. "Cedric Diggory!" A dull roar erupted in the hall as Hogwarts cheered her champion. The Hufflepuff table was the loudest by far, but the other three tables all had people cheering and clapping.

A final name sputtered out of the goblet after Cedric had vanished through the door. "Viktor Krum!" Harry grinned widely at Viktor, who was vibrating with excitement. Nothing showed on the taller boy's face, but the glance he gave Harry might as well have been a shout of joy. The Bulgarian walked calmly into the side room and the hall calmed down.

"Thank you all! The Great Hall will be open all day tomorrow in honor of the champions. Please-" Dumbledore was interrupted as the goblet flared to life again, a scrap of paper fluttering out. The hall fell silent as apprehension took hold. Dumbledore hadn't expected this to happen, so it couldn't be good.

The bit of paper was snatched out of the air sharply and narrowed blue eyes read the name on it. "Harry Potter!"

It was like a water jutsu suddenly catching him. All the of the happiness he'd been feeling for Viktor was washed away as something cold settled in the pit of his stomach. Looking worriedly at Mikael, he gently shifted Jonathan off his lap and into Collin's.

"If I'm not back by midnight, the forest is your best bet. Remus is set to meet me there in two days, he'll get you to Mark," Harry quickly murmured. Mikael nodded and quietly relayed the information in hesitant Japanese to the other four boys.

"Mr. Potter, if you would please step into the room with the other champions?" Dumbledore's impatient voice was much to close. Harry curled his lip at the old man in an almost snarl and hurried through the door.

Viktor stood immediately when Harry came through. "Vhat is vrong Harry? Has something happened?"

The smaller boy scowled at the wall over Viktor's shoulder. He wasn't mad at the taller boy after all. "My name has come out of the Goblet."

"Indeed. Just how did you manage to fool the Age Line Mr. Potter?" Harry whirled around, his fangs flashing in a sharp snarl that startled all of the adults. Madame Maxime was looking at him with something akin to horror on her face.

"I did not enter myself! It's more likely you entered my name in some misguided attempt to get me to give up Jonathan again!" Harry's rage was palpable in the tiny room, but Dumbledore merely frowned at him.

A hand settled on his shoulder and Harry turned angry green eyes on Viktor. "Calm down Harry. This is difficult, not fixed by anger." The smaller teen blew air through his nose and turned hard eyes back on the adults.

"Fine, my name came out of the cup. I'll not be participating because it's to dangerous. There's no way in all the hells that I'll do some frivolous tournament that could put my son in danger." Karkaroff frowned at the son comment, but remained silent. Harry had a feeling that he was a man of little words.

Someone cleared their throat and the adults parted to let another man through. "I'm afraid you'll have to Mr. Potter. The Goblet of fire creates a magically binding contract when your name comes out of it. You will participate or your magic will be taken."

Harry cursed, loudly. Dumbledore looked startled at the violent reaction and foreign language. Harry was usually such a calm boy, his anger quiet and devastating. "A contract that I didn't even agree to! _**Useless wizards, you're worse than civilians!**_ What school does it say I'm entered for? Certainly not Hogwarts!"

"It, ah, it doesn't list the school. Just the name." The man cleared his throat and straightened up. "_**You're right that you jfjhgf part of Hogwarts. Jgkjk be enrolled in a different school? Hjh students khg.**_"

The Gryffindor blinked in surprise at the slightly mangled version of his own language. Obviously this was modern Japanese, unmodified by separation and isolation. "_**What is your name?**_"

"_**Crouch Bartemius. I'm the head of the ghfdjfd of International Magical Cooperation. It's nice to meet you.**_" The man bowed a little and Harry returned the gesture absently. "_**If you'd jgfdjhf can be listed as a student from another school. jhgytru for the tournament ngjdg. It would have to be a legitimate school ljhgkjh. You could make one, kjhgkjhgk number of students. At least four students kjhgkjh.**_"

Looking thoughtful, Harry glanced around at the confused faces of those around him. "Alright. Send me the paperwork I would need to do such a thing."

Crouch bowed again and explained to those who hadn't understood. "Mr. Potter will be registered under a different school name for the duration of the tournament. He was correct that Hogwarts can't have two champions."

Uneasy agreement murmured through the adults. Dumbledore looked nervous, but the other two heads looked mollified that Hogwarts wouldn't be getting the credit if Harry managed to win.

The paperwork came in the mail the next morning. Jonathan made a grab for it, interested in anything to do with his father. Harry chuckled and shifted the child into Collin's lap instead. The younger Gryffindor squeaked in surprise, but adjusted quickly to feeding the child as well.

A quick scan of the parchments made Harry frown. He needed four students, himself not included, and at least two instructors to form a school. It wasn't necessary that they have a stationary place to meet, but a general area was required.

Once he had an area and the signatures of his students and staff the school would be filed with the Ministry. Of course, this meant he also had to come up with a name for his school.

"What's that Harry?" Dennis craned his neck to peer at the paper, but couldn't get a good look.

Green eyes flickered up to watch him in amusement for several long seconds. "It's the paperwork and requirements I need to start a school of my own."

Both Creevey's perked up, as did Dean and Seamus. "A school of your own? Can we be students?" Dennis leaned forward while his brother nodded enthusiastically. Mikael calmly ate his breakfast. He was already guaranteed to be a student as Harry was technically his guardian.

"You have to ask your father first. He's paying for you to go to Hogwarts, it wouldn't be right to waste his money without his permission." Harry gave them a stern look and then turned the look on his interested looking year mates. "You two as well, ask your parents. I'm not going to have you pulled out because they don't approve."

Seamus and Dean grumbled, but agreed as well. As much as they hated to admit it, Harry was right. It wouldn't be fair on their parents to just disappear into another school when they'd already paid for this year at Hogwarts. Not without their permission at least.

Moving out to meet with Remus, Harry jostled Jonathan on his hip. The baby was squirming in his arms. "_** No **_Jonathan, _**you can't explore the forest on your own yet.**_"

Mikael huffed up at them, but then continued to sniff for Remus' scent through the forest. He was excited to be in his wolf form, as he'd rarely used it since he'd discovered he could transform at will. A soft bark let Harry know he'd picked up on the older werewolf.

They followed the trail a little deeper into the forest, stopping by a small brook. Sirius was sitting next to it, wiggling his fingers idly in the water while Remus quietly stood beside him. When they noticed Harry and Mikael, Sirius quickly stood and moved to stand beside Remus.

"We heard you put your name in the Goblet of Fire." Sirius tilted his head curiously, eyeing the toddler on his godson's hip.

Harry rolled his eyes and let Jonathan climb off his hip. It was safe enough in the little clearing for him to explore. "Hardly. I don't know who did, but now I have to get enough students and instructors to temporarily make a school of my own. Hogwarts isn't allowed to have two champions."

Looking thoughtful, Remus glanced at Sirius. "How old do these students and instructors have to be?"

"It doesn't specify, just says I have to have bodies." Harry dug the papers out of his bag. He'd taken to keeping them on himself when he'd caught Dumbledore eyeing them like he wanted to set them on fire.

Glancing at Sirius, Remus smiled at Harry. "If you like me and Sirius could be instructors. I'm good with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration. I also managed an O in Arithmancy and Astronomy."

Harry blinked at the werewolf, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Sirius started speaking. "I'm pretty good at Defense, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Potions. I'm also passable in Herbology since it was needed for a field mission I had when I was an Auror."

"You realize you'll be actually teaching these students? I refuse to stay in Hogwarts anymore than the other school's champion's have to." Harry idly used a stretch of chakra to push Jonathan away from the brook. The toddler sniffed at it, but obediently came back to Harry.

Both adults nodded, having guessed as much. "We might not have to do much teaching considering it didn't specify age. You could always ask the other werewolves at the tavern to help you. I'm sure they'd be happy to sign your list of students." Remus looked at Sirius in surprise. He'd been thinking about something similar, but Sirius suggesting it was a little odd.

"Hmmm, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask. Now, why did you want to see me? You didn't know about the goblet when you asked to meet with me." Harry folded his arms and Jonathan decided to play with Mikael, who'd laid down in a sunny patch a few paces away.

A sheepish smile spread over Remus' face, but Sirius took on a determined look. "We wanted to apologize, for Remus attacking Mikael."

Green eyes stared at them coolly, then look at Mikael. The werewolf opened one eye to look at him, then closed in unconcernedly. On his back Jonathan rocked and pulled on his fur gleefully. The young werewolf wasn't angry with them, it was Harry who had to accept their apology.

"We were hoping we could spend the next full moon with you. Mark's been working on the animagus transformation and he wanted to talk with you as well." Remus gave him a hopeful look and Harry huffed unhappily.

He didn't want to forgive them, but he knew that Remus hadn't meant it. He'd just been unable to control himself without the potion. "You have one chance Lupin. One. If you so much as sniff at Mikael's ass the wrong way come the full moon I'll tear you apart."

Sirius looked like he was going to protest, but Remus cut him off before he could. "Of course, thank you Harry." They talked about where they would be meeting up for a little while more, then separated. Harry and his boys going back to the castle and Remus dragging a whining Sirius back to The Moonshine.

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A couple of my RL friends started playing WoW too, so I've been helping them level. I hope you liked this chapter! Review and let know, okay?

Taku


	29. Chapter 28

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, do you really think I'd be writing fan fiction about them if it was mine?

**Note:** Got epic flying! Hurray! Anyway, homework is just as heavy as always, and twice as headache inducing. It might be a while before I update again as I only have the next chapter written and I don't like to post unless I have at least two chapters done.

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Harry idly turned the page of his Herbology book. There was only one place he had the training to survive in outside of Hogwarts that was still on the grounds, so he was familiarizing himself with the poisonous and dangerous plants in the Forbidden Forest.

It wouldn't hurt to know which ones were safe to eat either. The Creevey's had come to him to let him know that they had permission from their father to sign up for his school. They'd even gone so far as to show him the letters as proof.

"Potter!"

Green eyes looked up to stare at Ron, who was turning a frightening shade of red. "Why the hell did you tell a Slytherin where our tower is?" Harry rolled his eyes and went back to his book. "Don't ignore me! Some Slytherin kid is at the portrait saying he wants to talk to you and there's no way a lower year could have found it themselves!"

"Maybe he asked someone in his house where it is Ron. We don't exactly keep the tower entrance a secret." He nudged Seamus up and stretched. "So a younger year is out there waiting for me?"

"That's what I said Potter." Ron scowled at him as he put a marker in his book. The redhead's glare only cut off once Harry had stepped out and closed the portrait.

A boy that was slightly taller than Harry shifted nervously in front of him. His Slytherin tie looked like it had been worried extensively, sitting mussed against the boy's chest.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Harry tucked his hands into his sleeves and leaned against the wall.

The Slytherin fidgeted nervously, then seemed to shake himself and straighten up. "Yes I…my older brother said you made an alliance with our house?"

Harry stared at him. He'd only made an alliance with Blaise and this kid looked nothing like him. Though Blaise's mother was known as the Black Widow. Perhaps this kid's father had married her at some point? Was married to her? He didn't really know if she was married currently.

"What's your name?"

"James Harper, but my older brother is Blaise Zabini. He said you could help me." The boy fidgeted under Harry's stare. "You see, I'm not that good with magic and while Mama Zabini says she doesn't mind, I'm starting to fall behind in classes. I just can't do the things that they're teaching."

"And Blaise guessed, correctly, that my school wouldn't only focus on magic. Does your mother know you want to transfer out of Hogwarts?" Harry waited for the nod before sighing. "Alright. Wait here while I get the papers."

A quick trip through the portrait hole retrieved his bag and he motioned for the younger boy to follow him into one of the many unused classrooms in the castle. "You just have to fill out this form here. Before you do though, you should know that we'll be living in the Forbidden Forest."

James blinked at him in shock, the quill in his hand falling to the desk and leaving a splatter of ink on it.

"You'll be safe enough. You won't have to worry about getting killed unless your stupid about it and go for a walk alone." Harry scratched at an itch on his cheek and watched the Slytherin shake himself again.

"You promise it will be safe?"

Harry quirked a small grin. "As safe as the Forbidden Forest ever is. We'll be set up there while this tournament is going on. After that I'll see if anyone wants the school to continue and if they do I'll move it to a different forest."

Nibbling his lip a little, James nodded hesitantly. He didn't really have much choice since he honestly didn't have the power for anything higher than third year spells. So, with a shaky flourish, he signed his name twice and squeaked when the parchment rolled itself up and vanished.

"Okay. I'll owl your mother to let her know about the change and we'll have a group trip to the Alleys after everything is set up to get you a tent and any equipment you'll need. It's expected that you buy your own equipment and if you want anything better than the basics you'll have to buy your own tent. I'll only pay for the necessities." Harry handed him a copy of the papers he'd just signed and tucked the rest into his bag.

James nodded dazedly, staring after Harry as the older boy left. His first meeting with Harry Potter, the boy who his brother held in such high esteem. He'd been sure the Gryffindor would be snotty like Malfoy, but he'd been just as helpful as Blaise had said he would. He hadn't treated James like an idiot either, like some of the teachers did.

With a lighter heart and a tentative smile, James left the classroom and headed back into Slytherin territory. He'd soon be out of Hogwarts. Maybe he'd even get to start learning that strange language his brother spoke!

Nearly a week later, Harry was questioning the wisdom of starting his own school. He'd gotten the signatures he needed and the whole group had descended on the various Alley's to get the supplies they'd need for living in the wild.

Somehow though, he'd ended up with more people than he'd thought he would. Rick Creevey had learned from his sons that Harry wasn't just teaching magic and had requested leave from his work in order to stayed with them for a few weeks. Harry was certain he'd be teaching the man how to use his chakra if only to keep him from being eaten by the forests denizens.

Rick wasn't the only unexpected addition. When they'd been going through Knockturn Alley, having used The Moonshine as the meeting up point, they'd somehow managed to pick up three of the Knockturn orphans.

It seemed that Mikael played with them during the summer and had sent them an owl before hand to ask if they wanted to join him. Harry had frowned at his partner for not warning him about the additions, but it wouldn't be to hard to get their equipment.

Their first stop was the tents. Basic three man tents with minimal kitchen and a toilet. Three tents heavier, Harry hurried back to the tavern to drop them off.

"Mikael, take everyone to get their things. Save the wands for last, no need to have them pick pocketed. If you get hungry make sure you eat something healthy. Oh, and you three better have at least seven outfits for each season by the time I meet up with you!" Harry pointed to each of the three children that had joined them.

Dirty little faces stared up at him with something akin to awe, so he adjusted Jonathan's carrier on his back and hurried away. It was a little unnerving to be looked at like sunshine shone out your pores.

Harry waved at a few people he recognized and easily avoided the stalkers Dumbledore set on him. He needed to set up a deal with the surplus store that usually provided food for the restaurants around the Alleys.

Sure he planned to teach his students how to hunt in the forest, but it wouldn't be right for them to take as much game every day as they would need to survive. Not to mention the need for healthy meals rather than just filling ones. If he was going to be teaching them to survive, he'd be teaching them how to use their chakra and a healthy body was vital to that.

Unless you were an Akimichi and body size was a part of your family jutsu.

They all met back up in The Moonshine as the sun was going down.

"Food is taken care of, so are the tents. Does everyone have their clothes? We'll be mostly outside during winter so you'll want to make sure you have something warm." The group murmured agreement and Harry jostled Jonathan on his hip to keep the sleeping child from falling off.

"Okay, I'll be providing books for you to use, but does everyone have a wand." He pursed his lips at the disbelieving look a few of them threw him. "It's a valid question. The only person who doesn't need one is Rick and that's because he's a muggle."

Another round of murmuring, some of them even pulling their wands out to show him. "Well, so long as you all have your things I suppose we just need to set up once we get there. We'll do that in the morning though. I don't want to deal with the forest at night until we have a base of operations set up."

"Now! Mark has graciously allowed us to use four of his rooms free of charge. We'll be getting up early so I suggest you go to bed immediately once we're done. We'll hike into the forest for about half an hour and set up at a clearing I've prepared." Harry jostled Jonathan again, then smile thankfully at Mark.

The man waved the thanks off and poured another drink for the night's only customer. Lukus, a vampire that had been around the tavern for as long as Harry had been there. "Come on Mikael, it's time for bed."

Mikael bit his lip and looked at his friends. Harry rolled his eyes and reached out to tug on chocolate brown hair reprimandingly. "You can see them tomorrow. They'll be living with us after all."

He nodded reluctantly, waving goodnight to his friends and climbing the stairs after Harry. He could hear the Creevey brothers dragging their father up the stairs and his three friends following. The strange Slytherin boy who'd silently followed them around the alley bringing up the rear.

Just as Harry said, the next morning was an early one. All the children were blurry eyed and Jonathan was sleeping in a larger version of his chest pouch. The only people really awake were Harry and Rick, though they'd both had suspiciously large cups of coffee already. Neither usually drank it so Mikael was certain they were tired as well.

"Everyone here?" Harry glanced around, counting heads. Mikael, Rick and James had the extra tents on their back, Harry's own already positioned around the chest harness. "Everybody have their things?" A general murmur of ascent came from sleepy mouths.

Nodding to himself after he checked to be sure everyone had their backpacks on, Harry held out the portkey that would take them to just outside Hogwarts' gates. Everyone grabbed a section of the rope, Rick looking curious and a little unsure.

Then a sharp jerk behind his navel took Harry's attention from everyone. He closed his eyes and held tight to the rope with one hand, the other coming up to make sure Jonathan didn't accidentally fly off.

Landing, Harry only managed to stay on his feet because everyone had the same death grip on the rope he did. "You're all okay?" Wide awake eyes stared at him, then hesitant yes' rang out. "Good. We'll set out immediately. We need to put up our camp before anything else. Once that's taken care of we'll have breakfast."

Harry turned toward he forest and began walking. Mikael hurried forward to walk beside him with a little huff. "Why didn't we eat breakfast at Moonshine?"

"Because I wanted everyone to have an incentive for getting everything done fast. The clearing I picked in the one we met Black and Lupin in, and it's safer than most of the forest. But there is still danger in not having shelter at night there." Harry ducked under a low hanging branch and smiled when he heard someone's head connect with it.

Raising his voice a little, he called out to the people following behind him. "First lesson. Always be aware of your surroundings. The forest is dangerous to someone skilled in survival, it's downright deadly to someone who doesn't even pay attention."

No one answered so he continued forward. Mikael chuckled quietly beside him, smirking at the unhappy grumbling he could hear. Did they think living in a forest would be easy? It was only really James complaining though, so the werewolf remained quiet.

When they arrived in the clearing a tent was already set up there. It was a little more elaborate than the basic ones they'd bought for the others, but not by much. A deep green with black accents helped to hide it in the foliage.

"Lupin! Come help set these tents up. You're the only one qualified outside of me." Harry tapped lightly on the side of the tent and hummed quietly to settle a waking Jonathan.

Sandy hair and golden eyes poked out to peer around at them blankly. "You're here?"

Harry rolled his eyes and moved away to set up his own tent. "Yes Lupin, we're here. Rick is a muggle and the kids don't know how to set up the tents. Please help them. You too Black!"

A grunt made Harry turn around and stare down at Remus. The man was sprawled in the grass and a sheepish looking Sirius was standing in the entrance of their tent. "Sorry Remus, I didn't realize you were still standing there."

Some unintelligible grumbling let everyone know that Remus was fine, so Harry went back to his tent. A quick wave of his wand once he had it on the ground made the structure unfold and put itself together. As soon as it was set up Harry started making breakfast for everyone as he'd promised.

Outside the tent, Mikael was helping his friends from Knockturn Alley set up their beds. The tents each came with three twin size beds. Basic bedding was provided in a small closet, and that's what they made the beds with.

When that was done each child threw their packs on a bed and opened them. First thing out was a blanket each. Mikael had insisted they have something a little nicer than the pale blue flannel blankets. Krista's was a deeper blue that went with the theme of the tent.

Taylor and Garrett had decided to get matching blankets as they were practically inseparable already, despite the fact that Taylor was eight while Garrett was eleven.

"So is Harry really going to take care of us?" Taylor looked up at Mikael from his newly made bed, blue eyes wide.

"Of course he is. He said he would right?" Mikael flopped down on Garrett's bed, grinning when the younger boy mock scowled at him for messing it up. "Harry is _**Shubousha-sama**_, the ringleader of us. A ringleader takes care of his circus and Harry will take care of us."

Suddenly, a brown head popped in and Collin grinned widely at them. "You guys talking about Harry?" The three younger kids nodded warily and Mikael lifted a hand to wave it negligently in the air.

"Oh wait! Could you bring my pack to Harry, Collin? I'm helping these three get settled in." Mikael turned a pleading on the boy and Collin made a face.

"If he foists Jonathan off on me, I'm bringing him to you! I like the kid and all, but my dad wants us to explain everything to him before breakfast." Mikael nodded, a pleased grin on his face.

When Collin had left with Mikael's pack, Krista whapped him on the head. "You can't be looking after Taylor and Garrett with a kid Mikael!"

"Oi Krista, I'm older than you by a year!" Krista ignored Garrett and continued to frown at Mikael.

The older werewolf rolled his eyes and crossed his hands behind his head. "Relax Krista, Harry isn't gonna let anyone look after Jonathan for a little while. He wasn't kidding when he said this forest was dangerous. He won't trust any of us to keep my baby brother safe until he feels we're properly settled."

Golden eyes narrowed, then relaxed as the younger girl sighed. "Fine. But what was it you called him before? Shu-shubishosana?" She stumbled over the foreign word.

Mikael blinked, mouthing what she'd said to himself, then laughed. "You mean _**Shubousha-sama**_?"

"Yes, that. What's it mean?"

"It means leader, or ringleader. Since Harry really is the one in charge here, I figure it's a pretty good title. Don't worry if some of us say things you don't understand by the way." He scratched his nose, a little embarrassed for not having thought to warn them. "I'm sure you'll be taught it, but we all learned an ancient version of Japanese to make learning what Harry had to teach us easier."

He perked up as a delicious smell wafted under his nose. "Oooo, it smells like Harry's got breakfast nearly done. Should we go see?"

Krista sniffed the air with a suspicious frown. Her face lit up quickly though and she darted out of the tent before any of the boys had even gotten off their beds.

Several chairs had been set up around a newly formed fire pit. The wood in it wasn't lit, but Rick was showing an interested Sirius how muggles did it. James was already seated, his cloak wrapped tightly around him. Brown eyes flickered up to look at them, then turned back to the little pile of sticks that wasn't even smoldering.

"Youngest to oldest, come get your food! And do it calmly please. My kitchen isn't that big," Harry called from the flap of his tent.

Mikael watched his friends go in like their lives depended on it. The Creevey brothers went next followed closely by a shivering James. He glanced at the pair of adults crouched around the fire, shrugged, and went in to get his own breakfast.

Remus was helping Taylor decide what he wanted while the others had all pretty much filled their plates and were leaving the tent to eat around the fire pit. Harry spared a brief smile for Mikael as he dressed Jonathan for the cooler air of the morning.

"Just so you know, Mr. Creevey is trying to show Sirius how to start a fire the muggle way. They might be a while." Mikael scooped up a large portion of rice and scrambled eggs, then took three slices of bacon. Once he was outside he carefully mixed the rice and egg together, then crumbled the bacon into it.

Nearly ten minutes later he was done and watching as Rick and Sirius became more and more frustrated with the non-existent fire. From the amount of times Harry had glanced away from Jonathan's feeding at them he was getting frustrated too.

"That's it," Harry muttered. Sticking the spoon in the bowl of porridge, Harry quickly made some hand seals and spat a little ball of fire at the twigs.

Sirius and Rick jerked back with cries of shock and stared at the merrily crackling flame.

"Well? Put some bigger logs on it and go get your food. It's probably gone cold with how you two refused to eat until you'd proven you were men." Harry sniffed haughtily at them and resumed feeding Jonathan.

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Review and let me know what you guys think!

Taku


	30. Chapter 29

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** Last disclaimer for this story. After this chapter I won't be posting it. 30 is plenty.

**Note:** Lol, took me long enough right? Geeze. Sorry about the long wait, but I had midterms, then the day after I took a two hour drive to get to my local anime convention. The three weeks leading up to that were filled with frantic studying and even more frantic costume making. Being the only one in my group who sews, and one of the only two in my _other_ group who knows how to make a costume worth anything, I was pretty busy. Oh, um, pee in this one but it's not sexual k? Cause I'm not into golden showers. Ew.

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"A wand weighing? Do they need to know how heavy your wands are for something?" The little boy looked down at his own brand new wand and move his hand as if to judge it's weight. "They don't seem very heavy to me. Let me see yours Garrett."

The older boy handed his wand to Taylor and watched him weigh the two against each other. A little half smile on his lips widened as the smaller boy finally shrugged and handed the wand back. "They feel the same to me."

Sitting by the fire, Remus chuckled. "They aren't checking the weight of the wand, just the condition it's in. They want to know how well you care for your wand."

"But why?" Taylor frowned at the werewolf, his bottom lip sticking out in a slight pout. Remus smiled at him, but it was Sirius who answered.

"People think that a wizard's power can be measured partially by the condition of his wand. The better the condition, the stronger the wizard." The animagus shrugged, tying off the knot Harry had showed them the day before.

Classes had started nearly a week ago, one survival class after every wizarding lesson. Sirius had made it his personal mission to show his godson that they could learn to work together. They could be a family. Starting with learning how to survive the way Harry did.

It was obvious that the boy knew what he was doing, could even perform some strange kind of magic. So since Harry was already learning regular magic, Sirius figured they'd just have to learn his magic. Then they'd be on even footing and could offer him a family again.

"And does the condition of the wand matter?" Mikael lazily rolled over in his sunny spot, looking much like a lounging wolf.

Sirius shrugged, picking the knot open with his finger nails. "Not really, or if there is I've never met anyone who really noticed a difference. Personally I think some anal retentive wizard decided that making his wand look better would help his spell casting and just spread the rumor around."

Laughing, Remus snatched the knot out of Sirius' hands and deftly undid it. "You would Padfoot. Anyway Taylor, it's mostly done in a competition so the press has a chance to get to know the contestants."

"Harry isn't going to like that." Mikael grinned lazily at them, then vanished. In his spot three long needles glinted in the sun. Startled eyes glanced around to find the source of the needles, landing on Harry. Mikael was already sniffing lightly at Harry's chest, the last of the senbon gripped tightly in his hand.

The older boy chuckled quietly, Jonathan strapped to his back. "Are you ready? Or should I go by myself?"

A loud cacophony of disagreement started up and Harry grinned. He wasn't sure why, but he'd woken up in such a good mood that he didn't want to question it to much. "Well then get up and lets go. I don't have all day!"

Some scrambling later and Mikael was joined by Sirius. Remus had volunteered to stay behind with Rick to look after the camp. The muggle man was the only one of the three adults that had started to grasp the basics of chakra.

The group of four, plus one baby, hurried through the forest and emerged on the Hogwarts lawn. There was a group of Durmstrang students hanging out on the edge of the lake in their furred uniforms. Harry hummed quietly in thought and tucked the blanket tighter around Jonathan.

Snow had covered the ground a few days ago, a late fall. The others had packed with a cold winter in mind, but they hadn't really taken into consideration how different a winter in the forest would be from a winter in the castle, or the alley.

As a result, the younger kids had been complaining about being cold. He needed to talk with Remus and Rick about planning a shopping trip into muggle London. There tended to be sturdier clothes in the muggle world as wizards covered the cloth's deficiency with magic.

"Harry, my boy!"

"Mr. Potter if you would Professor." The quiet scritch of a quill drew green eyes. "What's that?"

A woman with stylized glasses and a slimy feel to her scent moved in front of him and held out her hand. "Rita Skeeter Mr. Potter. That would be my quick quotes quill. I write for the Daily Prophet."

"Finite incantatem!" The quill, and it's parchment, dropped to the floor with a splatter of ink. Rita Skeeter and Cornelius Fudge rounded on Sirius, who was frowning severely at the acid green feather.

"Just what do you think-"

"How dare you-"

"Shut up!" They snapped their mouths shut in shock at the man's furious face. Harry suddenly realized why people could believe that Sirius Black was able to betray his parents. "How dare you bring something like that to a serious event? Has the Daily Prophet become such a gossip rag that they'd send a sub par reporter like you, who needs a _quick quotes quill_ to come up with something interesting?"

Harry covered his mouth to keep from laughing at the pair's expressions. "The Black family still owns a majority stock in the Prophet. Perhaps its time for me to inspect my assets." Gray eyes narrowed angrily and Skeeter swallowed loudly.

On the other side of the room, someone cleared their throat and the tension in the air snapped. Sirius relaxed a little, a tight smile thrown at the veela girl that was even now scowling at them all. "If you would not mind, could we please start ze wand weighing. I do not 'ave all day."

"Yes, of course my dear! If you would please Mr. Diggory? " Harry tuned out Ollivander's voice and unwrapped Jonathan a little. The toddler was squirming in protest at the gathering heat in his blankets.

"-tter, MR. POTTER!" He blinked, turning a chastising frown on Fudge. The minister flushed, but whether from anger or embarrassment was anyone's guess.

"May I see your wand Mr. Potter?" Harry turned his green eyes onto Ollivander. "I need to inspect it for the tournament."

"Of course." Harry handed his wand over and handed Jonathan off to a silent Mikael. The werewolf hadn't spoken a word through the entire thing, content to follow Harry with his hands clenched around kunai up his sleeves.

For his part, James hadn't left his spot next to the only door. He had been found to be talented in genjutsu and was prepared to put all of these wizards to sleep if they showed even a hint of hostility toward Harry. Despite Sirius being listed as the official Headmaster of their little school, Harry was most definitely the one in charge.

Ollivander handed the wand back with a smile and Harry tucked it away. "Ah, and Mr. Potter. If you would please visit my shop again this summer? I need to speak with you about one of the children you brought in not to long ago."

"Of course Mr. Ollivander." Harry bowed a little, the action of respect coming naturally to him. The rest of the event went quickly, Harry posing uninterestedly with the other champions for a picture and turning down an interview.

"At least tell us what the name of your new school is Mr. Potter! What would the criteria be to attend? And is there really a muggle involved?" Harry turned away, toward the door.

Sirius frowned, but answered some of her questions. "It's called The Academy, those who qualify will be notified if the school continues past this year. No comment."

As they were leaving the room, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Actually Mr. Potter, I was hoping you would have dinner here in the castle tonight. I know it's not required, but the whole point of this tournament is to promote inter-school cooperation."

Harry stared flatly at Dumbledore, his arms wrapped tight around Jonathan. The boy was happily sucking on a binky and not in the least bothered by the tight hold. "Given your record for attempting to kidnap or sell my son off, not to mention the way you treat my partner, I think I'd prefer to eat in the woods with the wild animals and my schoolmates."

The old man smiled a little, the twinkle in his eyes making the expression seem joyful rather than sly. I sent a man to invite your schoolmates for dinner not to long ago! I'm sure he's reached them by now." The students of The Academy stiffened at the subtle threat.

"I hope, for the sake of your _man_, that he didn't reach my camp." With those ominous words as a parting, Harry slipped from the room. The others followed him smoothly and with stony faces. Behind Dumbledore, Viktor frowned and glanced at the other two champions. They both gave slight nods.

Once they were in the cover of the trees, Harry jerked his head forward. Mikael and Sirius transformed and shot into the underbrush while the remaining humans took to the trees. Jonathan buried his nose in his blanket, but watched the scenery flying by with great interest.

"I'm sure they're fine." Green eyes glanced over at James, then quickly cut away to avoid crashing into a tree. "Mr. Creevey understands better than most of us about chakra and can even do some of the lower level to mention his boys, who are as good as Mikael at combat and stealth. And from what I saw of Professor Lupin last year, he's not exactly a pushover either."

They moved carefully around an acromantula's web. Usually they'd try to find and kill the spider it belonged to, but making sure the others were alright was more important right then. "And they had the kids with them. Krista, Garrett, and Taylor might not be very powerful yet, but they're crafty. They'll be alright."

"Hush James." Harry's soft murmur wasn't harsh, but the ex-slytherin still wilted a little.

They slowed to a stop in the trees around the camp. There was a lone wizard desperately fighting off Remus and Mikael, who were both snarling and snapping in their wolf forms. Sirius was darting in between their attacks to nip at the wizard's heels.

Outside the small circle of attack, Rick was making hand signs. When the three Knockturn children threw homemade explosive tags attached to rocks at the wizard he used the smoke to vanish. Harry silently motioned James forward and smiled when the light feeling of chakra coated the area.

The others backed off, not wanting to break the fragile genjutsu with a jolt of pain. The wizard continued to defend against invisible assailants. Confident he wouldn't be able to escape on his own, Harry leaped down from the trees, James following close behind.

"Thank Merlin you're here. He showed up a little after you guys left and started talking to Remus and Rick. Rick told him to leave and he attacked Dennis!" Krista pointed toward Harry's own tent, a bloody smear on the flap that kept it closed. "He was really good, we couldn't beat him even with all of us."

A scream drew their attention and Harry smirked to see the man's bald head sticking up out of the dirt. He wriggled around, then froze as he realized that the ground pressed in closer when he moved. Then he noticed that the epic battle he'd been having seemed to have been over for a while and others had rejoined the camp.

"Watch him, I'm going to check on Dennis." Mikael whined and sidled up to him. Harry chuckled and pushed his fingers into the werewolf's fur. "Yes, you too. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

Rick unsheathed his katana, a more recent addition that he still wasn't sure about, and pointed the tip directly at the black man's nose. "Move and you'll be losing worse than your nose." There was no reply.

Harry slipped into the tent and smiled reassuringly at Collin, who was holding a kunai to his throat. "Careful there, wouldn't want to accidentally take out an ally." Mikael nosed around both of them and hurried to Dennis' side.

He whined and licked delicately at the boy's bloody arm. Dennis hissed when the tongue ran over a still bleeding cut.

"Sorry, I couldn't find your first aid kit and I didn't want to leave him alone." Collin motioned toward the bloody dish cloths wrapped around the worst of his brother's injuries.

Shaking his head, Harry settled Jonathan on his blanket and moved to look at Dennis' wounds. "It's alright. You did a good job of stopping the bleeding in the deeper wounds and the shallower cuts are already scabbing. I'll get you a first aid kit so you can clean him up properly, then I want you two to watch Jonathan for me."

Doing just that, Harry only stuck around long enough to make sure Collin was cleaning Dennis up properly before gliding from the tent. Compressed fury wafted around him thickly, Making Mikael pressed close to his legs. He may be able to control himself now, but anger and hate were closely entwined with a werewolf's psych.

Remus ducked down and backed away from Harry when he approached, giving over his prey to the alpha. Sirius barked excitedly, but also moved back. Rick, at Harry's sharp nod, moved into the tent to see to his sons.

"What's your name." Harry crouched down to look the man in the eye comfortably. Mikael pushed his head under the older boy's arm to help keep him steady, not that he really needed it. The wizard remained silent. A quiet whine drew Harry's eyes to Remus and Sirius. The animagus had transformed back into a human.

"His name is Kingsley Shaklebolt. He's a ministry auror and likely one of Dumbledore's lackeys considering his attack on the camp. The ministry wouldn't stir up trouble with so many foreign ministries looking in on Hogwarts." Sirius wiggled his jaw around, a bruise blooming to life on the right side.

Cold green eyes regarded the scowling man buried up to his chin in dirt. "What should we do with him, I wonder? We certainly can't just let him go. Dumbledore might think it was okay to attack us if there weren't any real consequences."

Mikael huffed and rubbed his body all along Harry's side as he stalked up to the black man. Delicately, he nipped the man's ear and bathed the wound in saliva. Then he moved to the other side, lifted his leg, and let a trail of piss dribbled on the man's head.

Eyes and mouth clenched tight, Kingsley began to squirm again. He only gasped for breath when Mikael was done and the squeezing on his chest became to much. He snarled when he realized that the whole camp was laughing at him; even Harry had a smirk on his face.

"Remus, change back. I want you and Sirius to take him close to the acromantula's nest, get him caught up in an empty web, and leave him there. If he escapes he can live, if he doesn't, well…"

"Oh, and Kingsley? If you do survive, let Dumbledore know that we won't be so merciful next time. The ministry here holds no power over us and Asia allows for a school to take any means necessary to protect it's members."

Hearing giggles, Harry looked at a red faced Taylor and Garrett, then noticed Krista was turned away with her hands over her own face. He glanced questioningly at Sirius and rolled his eyes as he realized the source of the children's amusement. "You could have gone to your tent before changing back."

A flushed Remus shook his head, tugging Sirius' cloak from the man's shoulders and around his own. "I couldn't control it. You told me to transform back and my body did, without my permission."

"Interesting…we'll talk about this tonight." Remus nodded and hurried to his tent to put some clothes on. He'd obviously ripped his up when he'd transformed, much like Mikael had. "Krista, I want you to make sure Taylor and Garrett are okay. Then start cleaning up the camp. The blood will attract unwanted attention from the forest denizens if its left alone."

Later that night, after Harry had made sure all the children were in bed and actually sleeping, or staring worriedly at Dennis in the case of Collin, he joined the adults around the fire. They sat in silence for a while, Mikael keeping watch on the outskirts of camp in his wolf form.

"So, you said you couldn't control your body Remus?" Rick glanced between the werewolf and Harry. Harry was staring intently into the fire while Remus couldn't take his eyes from the younger man.

"Yes. He told me to change back and whatever lets me control the transformations took over and forced my body back into a human. It was a little painful, but I don't feel any different than normal now." He shrugged and finally looked away, into the dark trees around them.

Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus' shoulders and nudged the werewolf's cheek with his nose. "It could just be that whatever Harry did to bond us left a bit of his own power behind as a kind of insurance. If you tried to attack him as a werewolf you might have a chance, but doing as a human?"

The animagus flashed Harry a grin. "You wouldn't get a single spell out before he took you down."

Remus chuckled quietly. "Heh, yeah."

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So what did you think? The ending is a little week but over all I'm pretty happy with it. Considering this is the second go though I'd better be.

Taku


	31. Chapter 30

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Disclaimer:** Last disclaimer for this story. After this chapter I won't be posting it. 30 is plenty.

**Note:** So it's short, but I'm a little busy with a new job and NaNoWriMo. The next chapter is half written and I hope to post at least twice next month, maybe three times if xmas goes well. :) Ummm, this is set up for next chapter, but I felt it should stand alone. See bottom for more info.

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"Hey! What are you doing over there!" Harry blinked and looked up from where he was making sure Jonathan didn't choke himself on the little bread snacks he'd bought in Hogsmead yesterday. Rick had said they were almost exactly like cheerios, right down to their shape and crunch.

Harry wasn't quite sure what cheerios were, but Jonathan really liked them and they weren't to dangerous for him to eat because of how quickly they dissolved in liquid. He wouldn't be able to choke for more than two seconds once his throat put pressure on it.

"What is it Rick?" Remus ambled over and blinked in surprise at the three tied up teenagers. "The other champions?"

Cedric puffed his chest out with a defiant look in his eye. "We're here to see Harry, it's about the tournament."

Moving toward them after making sure Mikael would watch Jonathan, Harry untied the trio. "It's alright Rick, they're friendly. What did you need to tell me?"

Viktor straightened his clothes and glanced about the camp. "The first task, it is dragons. Ve must get an egg from them."

"Eesn't eet just 'orrible? To sink, zey will be pitting us against dragons!" Fleur shook her head as if it was the worst idea in the world. Harry had to admit it wasn't very far off. "And 'ow 'ave you been 'arry? Your zon? Eet ees very cold out 'ere." She frowned in disapproval and Harry blinked at her.

She hadn't seemed to really like him before, just tolerate him. "We're fine, thank you. It isn't cold in the tents due to warming charms and our clothing takes care of the rest." Viktor smiled when he realized they were all wearing things similar to his own schools uniform.

"We, ah, we heard about the attack. Auror Shaklebolt stumbled out of the forest yesterday morning smelling something awful and torn up like nothing else. He was so exhausted that he just kind of blurted it out." Cedric scratched at the back of his neck and glanced worriedly at Dennis.

The boy was still wrapped up in bandages from where Kingsley's cutting curse had gotten him. On top of that, Collin and Mikael had twined themselves around his shoulders and legs respectively. Harry was a little concerned that Mikael was spending so much time as a werewolf outside of the full moon.

Speaking of concern…"Is that a w-werewolf?" Viktor and Fleur both shot the 'dog' an alarmed look at Cedric's pronouncement.

"Why yes, yes it is. You've met him before too. Mikael's just a little bit worried about Dennis after the attack. You'll likely be seeing more of him like this if you plan to visit again." Harry led the way into his camp, Remus and Rick following easily.

The champions weren't so casual about approaching a werewolf. They all settled on the far side of Harry and watched the canine like it would jump up and rip off their faces at any minute.

"You realize you're in a camp with several werewolves don't you?" Remus said lightly, tossing another log onto the fire. Cedric jumped in surprised fright, the other two just barely containing their own reaction. "And at least one more of us can control their transformation."

"H-how? It isn't the full moon!"

Harry hummed and stole one of the little bread snacks from Jonathan. The child puffed up his chest indignantly and growled a little at his father. Harry playfully snapped his teeth at the boy and growled back.

"Don't tell me you were bitten!" Cedric looked horrified, but Harry threw him an amused glance.

"Hardly. I'm immune to a werewolf's bite anyway. Now, about those dragons, do you guys know what kind they're going to throw us at?" Cedric shook himself, relaxing only marginally. Viktor and Fleur did a much better job of appearing at ease.

"Yes, it is a Svedish Short-Snout, Chinese Fireball, Velsh Green, and Hungarian Horntail. All are nesting mothers. I hope you get the Velsh Harry. They are calmest of dragons vhen nesting." Viktor glanced worriedly at Jonathan, who was now straining in the magical highchair's hold to try and get at Harry's ponytail.

They all sat in contemplative silence, only broken by Jonathan's sounds of struggle and the fire's popping.

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to be creative. It's about time for the first lesson to start so if you three wouldn't mind? Oh, and Viktor? You're welcome to come for lunch whenever you like. Since we don't eat with Hogwarts anymore." Harry smiled warmly at the three of them and watched until they vanished into the trees. Rick broke away and followed them without being prompted.

Sirius moved to Harry's side with a worried frown. "Dragons. They expect you to face dragons?" He sat down beside Jonathan and gently shoved the worse-for-wear spider plush into the child's arms. "What are they expecting you to do? Yeah, you're very good at surviving and beating the odds, but you're only 14. It's hardly fair to pit you against a dragon."

Shrugging, Harry pulled his pony tail around and began to braid it. There was still time before the days lessons were to start, but he needed to discuss this with his camp. "There are a few ways I could handle this. It's just picking the right one at this point. I don't really want to kill any dragons, so the easiest methods are out."

A choking sound drew everyone's eyes to James, who was pounding on his own chest. Water was splashed on the ground in front of him, obviously spat out at the start of his fit.

"Are you alright James?" Remus gently rubbed his back with a concerned look on his face.

The boy nodded, gulping in air and slowly calming down. Harry flicked one braid behind himself and started on the next one with an amused look. "Y-yeah. Just a little shocked. Would it really be easier for you to kill them?"

"Hmmm, yeah. I learned a long time ago that dragons are difficult to negotiate with." Harry suddenly sat up straight, his eyes going wide. "Negotiate…"

Mikael gently lifted Jonathan from his chair in time to save the child from his eager guardian leaping over him. Once Harry had cleared the chair and disappeared into the tent, he put Jonathan back into his chair and poured more bread snacks onto the tray.

Everyone stared at the swaying tent flap but Mikael who was calmly sipping at his tea. He had an idea of what his partner was planning.

"Ummm, what was that about?" Dennis whispered into the silence. Collin shook his head in shock and then jumped as his father dropped to the ground behind them.

"I think he had an idea." Taylor giggled and then squeaked as Garrett tucked him into the older boy's side. The pair cuddled down into their shared blanket and whispered to each other about what Harry could possibly have planned.

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So Harry will be facing the dragon next chapter! The start of a proper shinobi group begins to show through as well. Harry's got a nice little clan building up. We'll be seeing the elemental nations, if not konoha, very soon! But I want to know, do you want to see Harry's adventures before he meets up with the konoha gang or would you rather I just skip that and go straight to konoha? Review and let me know!

Taku


	32. Chapter 31

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Note:** Here is the next chapter! I hope the task scene is good enough! I tried to make it as exciting and believable as possible. Yay for Dean and Seamus coming back! Also, a bit of Percy and we get to see the interaction of everyone as shinobi! OH! For those of you who have checked out my random files in "The King's Loose Pages", I have some exciting news for you! One of my stories has been picked up by another author! Please check my profile for more info!

**_"Japanese!"_**

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Harry sat silently in the tent, his hands in his sleeves and his eyes closed in relaxation. Around him, Cedric and Fleur milled around nervously. Viktor was sitting at his side with a leg pressed against Harry's own. He could feel the fine tremors shivering through the Bulgarian's body.

A loud man burst into the tent, chortling and jiggling a bag of something in his hand. The bag twitched on it's own and Harry narrowed his eyes. If there was an actual animal in there, being shaken up, very little would stop him from tying the man up and leaving him in a sack on some abandoned back road.

"Are you kids ready to find out what your first challenge is?" Somber faces met his beaming one and the smile faltered a little. "Right, well! If you would please place your hand in the bag and pull out your number Mr. Krum?"

All four champions stared at the bag as if it would devour them alive should they touch it. Finally, Viktor plucked up some courage and plunged his hand into the bag. He quickly grabbed something warm and squirming then pulled his hand out.

It was a miniature Chinese Fireball with a tag around it's neck that had a large three written on it. Fleur went next, then Cedric. A two then a one. Harry sighed as he realized he'd have the Horntail and he'd be going last. This was going to be harder than he thought, they'd already be agitated from the other three champions.

He settled back on the bench as Cedric left the tent and nervously fingered the items in his sleeves. Parchment and brush; hopefully he'd have time to use them before the beast attacked him.

Fleur went after a loud roar floated into the tent and Viktor scooted over to Harry. "Vill you be alright? It is not something a child should face."

Green eyes slitted open to look at Viktor darkly and the Bulgarian laughed a little. "I know you are very mature, but you are only fourteen."

"Harry!" Both boys jumped and Harry turned his furious gaze to the panting redhead.

"Percy?" Harry gasped as the taller boy wrapped his arms around Harry tightly, pressing their lips together in a brief kiss.

"Oh Merlin, dragons! What are they thinking?" Another press of lips and Harry squeaked a little as he was squeezed.

"P-Percy!" The man didn't seem to hear him, so Harry wiggled his arms free and tugged the redhead's face down to cover his lips completely. Viktor stared with wide eyes as Percy seemed to crumple into Harry, eagerly devouring the smaller's mouth.

When they pulled apart, Percy was panting and Harry was rubbing his thumb just under Percy's eye. "Calm down. I already have a plan." His fingers slid up and tightened in Percy's hair. He smiled sharply, eyes hardening. "And if you run off like some frightened genin after this I'll hunt you down, cut off your balls, and feed them to your younger siblings as a delicacy."

Both Viktor and Percy shuddered at the cheerful look on Harry's face.

"R-right, no running away." Percy laughed nervously, but relaxed a little as Harry pecked his lips lightly.

"Good, now go back to the stands. You have to watch my skillful victory." He grinned impishly and Percy let himself be pushed out of the tent. Viktor cleared his throat as if he was going to say something, but was cut off as his name was called.

It wasn't very long before Harry was called out of the tent. He walked with a small frown onto the field and stopped at a semi-safe distance from the dragon. The crowd hushed, waiting eagerly for what Harry would do.

When he sat on the ground and pulled out the parchment and ink whispering started up. Was he just going to sit there? The dragon watched him intently, but seemed to relax the longer Harry just sat there.

Brush running over the uncurled parchment at a rate that made most of the judges think he was just making ink splotches, Harry quickly covered the parchment in runes. Nearly ten minutes later people were starting to get restless. The dragon had shifted to check on her eggs and so missed it when Harry suddenly vanished from sight.

A gasp drew the crowd's attention to the dragon itself as it reared up, Harry tightly holding to one of it's head spikes. "_Kon_ _Nana no Kon Haji no Justsu!_" (_Hold the Spirit of the Seven Technique_) A rush of Chakra filtered from his hand and Harry shuddered as it kept draining and draining.

It stopped as his legs gave out and the dragon laid it's head down with a groan. Harry stumbled off it's head, panting heavily, and wrapped his arms around the golden egg. Careful of the hot breath fanning out, Harry slipped around the head slowly and stumbled toward the edge of the arena.

His arms were shaking around the egg, making it difficult to keep a hold of. His legs felt like Jelly and the world wobbled a little with every step he took. The sealing jutsu had worked, but Harry was sure he wouldn't be using it on a dragon again any time soon.

Air rushing behind him Made Harry turn, but with his exhaustion he wasn't able to dodge like he usually would. Instead he pushed as much magic as he could into his back to help absorb the impact and let himself be smashed toward the gate by the dragon's tail.

Pain blossomed from his back outward, then started a new ripple in his arms and head when he hit the wall of the stands. Blackness filtered in his vision, the egg slipped from his hold, and Harry listed to the side. He landed on the ground with a dull thump that no one was really close enough to hear. They did wince when his head bounced off a rock though.

Before any medi-wizards could get onto the field, Rick dropped to the ground beside Harry. The dragon handlers were already subduing the Hungarian Horntail so he wouldn't have to worry about that. Gently inspecting Harry, Rick frowned at the blood seeping from the cuts on his head.

A soft whump of displaced air and dirt alerted him to Remus' arrival. "He hit his head pretty hard." Remus nodded, agreeing quietly. "I don't know how wizards handle this sort of thing, but if he has a concussion I've always been told not to move the person to much."

"It's the same for wizards. Thankfully there are spells that allow for movement of a patient without jostling injuries. There is also the option of using a general healing spell to stabilize him enough for movement or to wake him up. Once he's awake we can check for concussion and perform healing spells specifically for that." Remus ran a quick scan and frowned at the jumbled results.

Rick hummed and motioned toward Harry. "Could you heal him up a bit then? I doubt he'll be happy if he wakes up under the care of wizards." He motioned to the pair of men hovering anxiously on the other side of the field. They were eying the dragon warily, likely waiting until it was properly subdued to cross to Harry.

Golden eyes glanced at them, then swallowed down the instinctive objection that he _was_ a wizard. Another swish of his wand and Harry's head was encased in a light glow of blue magic. Green eyes fluttered open, focusing hazily on the pair above him.

It was only the familiar smell of pack that Harry from lashing out. His head was throbbing terribly, long tendrils of pain niggling along his spine and branching out into the rest of him. His back felt like one huge bruise, or possibly some tenderized meat.

"Harry?" He focused just a little more, helped along by the glasses that were slipped onto his face. "Harry, can you get up?" Rick wasn't so stupid as to ask if he was alright. It was very obvious he really wasn't.

A quick flexing of his muscles brought little shockwaves of pain, but it wasn't to bad. He could still move if he had to. "Yeah, though it might be slow."

Remus glanced up, then frowned as he realized how very close the medi-wizards were. "Harry…" They were in hearing range. "_**The **_medi-wizards _**are very close. I think you should get up now if you want to avoid them.**_"

All three shinobi turned their attention to the advancing men, causing them to falter. Holding eye contact with what seemed to be the leader, Harry held up his arm and let himself be pulled to his feet. Rick and Remus took a step back once Harry was steady.

They broke eye contact and Harry smiled briefly at Remus. "_**Lets go, healers are the only thing that could stop a shinobi in his tracks.**_" He grinned a little as he gathered chakra in his legs. "_**No matter how incompetent they are.**_"

Rick smirked at the healers, but Remus covered his amusement with a cough. The pair of green dressed wizards bristled a little at the looks. They might not understand, but they definitely knew Harry had made fun of them.

Before they could say anything though, Harry and Rick had jumped out of the ring. Remus threw them an apologetic smile and quickly followed. They didn't stick around to hear the scores, instead moving quickly to the group of shinobi-in-training that had set up a small tent several feet from the main medical tent.

Mikael was at Harry's side before he even made it to a pallet. Harry smirked at him, but didn't protest when the werewolf helped him lay down. "_**It's not to bad Mikael, so calm down. Remus took care of most of it. Nothing a little chakra and rest can't cure.**_"

They settled in and Collin fluttered his hands unsurely over the gash in Harry's side, then his head. He was the one who'd done the most in medical jutsu, but he didn't know if he could do anything for this. He'd only ever learned to close up minor wounds. Bruising, cuts, scrapes; he could heal all of these.

But Harry hadn't known anything but basic medical jutsu and Collin didn't know enough magic to try and transfer that into hand seals. "_**I can only do the gash, and probably not all the way.**_"

"_**That's fine. You work on the gash and we'll go from there-AGH! A little warning next time please!**_" Harry hissed through his teeth as the green chakra glowed over his wound, Collin not even able to give him an apologetic glance because he was concentrating so hard.

Slowly, much to slowly for Mikael's taste, the flesh began to knit itself back together. The jutsu Collin was using wasn't meant for something so deep that it affected the muscle. But it was working.

A commotion outside of the tent brought a protective Mikael from Harry's side. Taylor scooted closer to Harry and Dennis, his eyes fixed on the tent flap as Garrett and Krista also stood to defend their injured leader.

It pushed open and Percy hurried in. The flap opened again and Dean stumbled through. He was quickly followed by James, who had Seamus by the arm. "Harry!" Collin gasped as the chakra finally closed the last of the gash.

Harry gently pushed him away and sat back up to fold his arms around Percy. The Weasley hugged Harry tightly, then pulled back and pushed him onto the pallet. "Lay back, let me-"

"_**Not English. There are reporters and spies all over this event.**_" Percy flushed a little at the sharp reprimand from James,

"_**I've been working on converting spells into jutsu, mostly healing spells. I noticed you didn't really have that many in your…library.**_" He shrugged, not sure how else to explain the scrolls Harry had made from memory for them. "_**I copied them down for Collin, but I haven't had a chance to give them to him. No, don't sit up!**_"

Green eyes blinked up owlishly at Percy, then crinkled in amusement. Harry settled back on the pallet and closed his eyes to let Percy work. The healing flush of green chakra flowed over his head and seeped into his body, relaxing away the pain of his concussion and bruised back.

It was nearly ten minutes of Percy holding half-hand seals, channeling chakra through his other hand, before Harry felt the last of his aches ease away. Even the pounding headache the was sitting right behind his eyes had gone under the warm onslaught of Percy's chakra.

The redhead sat back and smiled at the content look on Harry's face. "_**You came in third. Dumbledore was the only one who gave you full marks for ingenuity. The others all gave you eight or below because of how boring your show was.**_"

He grinned ruefully. "_**And Sirius. He tried to give you 100 points because you were to only champion to get the egg without causing damage to either the dragon or her eggs.**_" Harry chuckled at that, imagining the argument Sirius would have had with the officials when they told him he couldn't go above ten.

"_**Thank you, Percy.**_" Harry leaned up to give Percy a soft kiss. The Weasley blushed, but didn't bother to hide his pleased grin or pull away. Harry climbed out of the pallet and turned to face Dean and Seamus. "_**It's been a while.**_"

Dean smiled at Harry and elbowed Seamus, who was still glaring balefully at James. The former Slytherin didn't even bother trying to look remorseful. He wouldn't be made to feel bad for protecting the leader of his new school, his new family.

"_**It has. How have you been Harry? Everyone getting on alright in the forest?**_" Dean glanced at the small playpen that held Jonathan in it, making his meaning clear.

Harry quickly came forward and hugged the black boy. "_**Yes, he's been alright. Though I could tell he missed you guys. How are you both? Your not getting to much flack for my leaving **_Hogwarts_** are you?**_"

Seamus shrugged and accepted the hug when Harry moved to him. "_**A little, but we were expecting it. It doesn't help that Ron caught us writing a letter to you. We didn't send it though, since he found out. We were worried someone might try and track it if we did.**_"

Moving back, Harry waved the still tense shinobi off. Silently telling them to relax a little. There wouldn't be a direct attack and anyone that could be listening in wouldn't understand what they were saying anyway. "_**I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do for you I will.**_"

The pair glanced at each other, then Dean cleared his throat. "_**Actually, we were talking with our parents and they said that as long as we don't fall behind in our studies…**_" He trailed off, glancing at Seamus. The Irish teen was practically vibrating in his excitement.

"_**They said we could join you! So long as we manage to pass the ministry approved tests we can join your school!**_" He grinned broadly at Harry, who smiled back equally wide.

"_**That's wonderful! But you'll probably have to do some studying on you own and you'll have to take year end test with Hogwarts. We don't do them and we don't study some subjects.**_"

Harry smiled a bit sheepishly, but the pair waved it off. "_**We figured that might be the case, so we requested a home schooling syllabus. We'll be fine so long as your teachers don't mind helping us when we get stuck.**_"

Mikael came around to Harry's side and smiled a little at the pair of older wizards. they returned his smile brightly. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind, but we have people coming."

Not even a full ten seconds after he said that, Rick poked his head into the tent. "Some officials for the tournament are here with Sirius, they say you need to come out so you can get the information on the second task with the other champions."

"Alright. _**I'll send you the paperwork. You'll have to owl it to your parents to get their signatures, then you can join us. You'll have to be officially withdrawn from Hogwarts before I can let you stay with us though.**_" Harry smiled at the nods he received, then stepped out of the tent. He had a summons to speak with.

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So what did everyone think? Like it, hate it, think you coudl do better (probably)? Review and let me know! And don't forget to check out Duskborn's story! He (she?) picked up my autobotsHP idea!

Taku


	33. Chapter 32

**Rating: **M (grand Muchacho)

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, mentions of underage (I guess)

**Diclaimer:** ...

**Note:** I'm sorry about the long wait, and the short update. I'm in a bit of slump but it seems I'm coming out of it now! Sorry to those who reviewed that I didn't reply to, I just haven't had the time. I'm extremely grateful for every one of you guys though, so please enjoy the chapter! Also, what do you guys think about splitting this up into two stories? The second one would start when he goes to the elemental lands and this one would end with him leaving. Any objections? Also, hopefully, there will be something good in the next chapter! If it will let me write it anyway. XD

**_"Japanese"_**

_"Summons Speaking Japanese_"**_  
_**

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Watching quietly, Mikael kept guard over Jonathan. Sirius was equally tense, though he covered it well with a wide grin and bouncy walk. "Harry! I'm sure you've met Ol' Ludo here, but this is Mr. Crouch, the other Ministry Judge." Sirius pointedly looked away and moved to coo over Jonathan, who growled back unimpressed.

"Harry my boy!" Green eyes scowled up at the headmaster, narrowing further at the gleeful expression there. "I thought you should know that all three schools-"

"That's four schools Dumbledore." Crouch frowned at the old man, who smiled sheepishly at him.

Dumbledore's smile seemed to widen even further when he looked at Harry. "All _four_ schools are to eat in the Great Hall tonight in celebration of the first task. Afterward, the champions will be pulled aside to get explanations about the egg you retrieved."

Bagman cleared his throat at the nearly murderous look in Harry's eyes. "And now the not-so-good news. Even though your performance was the most peaceful, and least destructive, it wasn't very exciting. You got the second lowest score out of all four champions. The only reason it wasn't the lowest was because of the lack of destruction and injury to the dragon."

Frowning severely at Dumbledore, Harry moved to turn away. "If that's all, then I'll see you tonight in the Great Hall." He walked back into the tent and let the previously open flap fall shut. The officials were left staring at the material of the tent in mild shock and outrage.

They moved on to the proper healing tent quickly. Not wanting to linger about and create a scene for the hungry press who all stood around watching them.

The sight that met Harry when he finally looked up was amusing, to say the least. Percy was surrounded by the younger shinobi, all staring at him in interest. The poor redhead was sprawled out on the pallet, glancing between them with a small frown.

Jonathan had also managed to get a hold of Sirius' hair and was pulling on it to shove fistfuls into his mouth. Sirius was trying to get his hair free without upsetting the baby, but Remus and Rick were to busy laughing at him to help. James was standing silently beside the tent flap, ready to stop anyone trying to sneak in.

"_**Camp has been properly cleaned up?**_" Harry looked toward James, since he was the only one who seemed to be taking things seriously. The younger boy nodded, a small spark of amusement in his eye betraying the severe frown he was throwing Sirius' way.

"_**Good, we'll be moving and I want no sign of us ever having been in that clearing. **_Collin, Dennis, Mikael!" The three quickly snapped their attention to Harry. "_**Go with James and make sure there is nothing of our camp left to find. Not even trampled snow.**_"

The three nodded and quickly disappeared out the back of the tent. James gave a short bow, making Harry blink in mild surprise, and vanished as well. "_**Everyone else stay on your guard. I don't trust Dumbledore to not try something tonight. When I go to learn about the egg you will all stay together. I don't care if you have friends, family, or a siren beckoning to you; Stay. Together.**_"

Dean glanced nervously at Seamus, but the Irishman had a determined look on his face as he stared at Harry. They would ignore the others, if only so Harry didn't have to worry about them when he went off with the other champions.

"_**I'll be gone for the next hour or so. If anything, and I do mean anything, happens to Jonathan while I'm gone…**_" He trailed off with a truly frightening look and strode out of the tent. It was time he started putting his plan to get back home into motion.

Once Harry was sure he was far enough away to not be noticed, and that he hadn't been followed, he pulled out a thick scroll. It unrolled to show a small amount of blood dried along the top and long lines of writing and seal formations.

A quick bite of his thumb brought the needed blood to the surface and Harry smeared it down the paper. He had to quickly jump away as smoke began to fill the space around him rapidly.

"_WHO DARES TO SUMMON ONE SUCH AS I!_" Harry quickly averted his eyes from the mighty golden dragon he'd summoned. "_HUMAN, YOUR BLOOD LINGERS IN MY MIST. WHY HAVE YOU CALLED ME HERE?_"

Taking a deep breath, Harry bowed low to the magnificent creature. "_**My Lord Dragon, I have summoned you with the intent to create a contract.**_"

It seemed to grow even larger in outrage. "_YOU DARE TRY TO FORM A CONTRACT WITH MY KIND? I SHOULD ROAST YOU WHERE YOU STAND!_" It let a billow of smoke out to prove how willing it was to do so.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm the nerves and fear he felt trickling down his spine. The blue markings along his back itched, power urging him to transform and flee. "_**It would be an honor to be bound to your kind, my Lord.**_ _**However, it is not a contract with the dragons that I seek. Only a fool would be so arrogant as to believe himself worthy of such. I simply wish assistance in making contact with the Great Wolf.**_"

Thankfully, the dragon deflated a little. Smoke stopped curling out of its nostrils as it leaned its head down to get a better look at Harry. "_YES, I DO SEE THAT YOU WOULD BE MORE SUITED TO A CANINE CONTRACT._" It seemed to ponder him for several long moments before giving a decisive nod. "_I WILL HELP YOU HUMAN. A MESSANGER WILL CONTACT YOU. DO NOT SUMMON ME AGAIN._"

No threat needed to be made. It was very clear to Harry that there would be no second chance should he attempt such a thing. As quickly as it had come, the dragon was gone. Sweet smelling smoke dissipated on the wind and Harry made his way back to Hogwarts.

He had a dinner to prepare for.

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Yeah, sorry to those who wanted Harry to have a dragon summons, but it isn't going to happen. That would make him a little to powerful and I'm trying desperately to not make him invincible. XD

Taku


	34. Chapter 33

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Note:** Wow you guys, I dunno what happened but I sat down and this whole thing just kinda exploded from my fingers. I felt bad about how short my update was the other day, so here is a LOOOOOONG one, or longer at least. XD And it's been decided, because of the overwhelming agreement of everyone, that I'll be splitting the story! Yay! It's still likely to be a HarryIbiki, so when I change the character (again) don't panic! Its just that Ibiki has nothing to do with it until the next fic! Also, a little extra reward for everyone who waited patiently for me to post again is at the end of the chapter. 8)

**EDIT:** ACK! I totally forgot to mention that some more fanart was drawn for this story! It's shura-chan and Doku so go to my profile and check it out! SORRY! And it was brought to my attention that kinda ate this chapter. Thank you for letting me know! Here it is again and no Robyn, I didn't delete your email. is just a pooty-head and removes anything that might be a link from the messages you send.

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Harry settled at the Ravenclaw table with the Beauxbatons delegation. He and Fleur exchanged greetings, both looking meaningfully up at the head table where all four school heads were missing. Remus, Rick, and Percy all looked unconcerned by this so Harry motioned for the rest of his pack to sit as well.

They did and immediately began serving themselves, though Mikael filled both his and Harry's plates as Harry was holding a gurgling Jonathan. The whispers died down as people began to fill their own plates and Harry was just about to dig in when a shout started them up again.

"Oi, Seamus, dean! Did you get lost or something? You're at the wrong table mates!" Both boys looked to Harry, who gave them a small nod.

The pair stood up and casually shrugged out of their robes to reveal the same stylized shirts and pants as the other Academy students wore. The weapon pouch sitting on a bandaged part of Dean's thigh went mostly unnoticed, but the one at Seamus' hip drew a couple odd looks.

"Sorry Ron, but we're going to sit with _our schoolmates_ this time." Seamus offered the redhead a grin that was so cheesy it could mold. Dean covered his amused laugh with a little cough as Ron's face turned redder than his hair.

They sat back down to continue eating, obviously dismissing the rest of Gryffindor. Ron was pulled back into his seat by an uneasy Hermione. The whispers didn't stop after that, but they did die down considerably.

When the last of dessert vanished, Harry handed Jonathan to Mikael and followed the other champions out of the room. As if this was some kind of signal, Ron stood up and stomped over to the Ravenclaw table. "What are you trying to pull Finnegan?"

Dean frowned, but his Irish friend didn't back down. The other Academy students quickly closed ranks around Mikael and Jonathan. With the way their classes were geared toward combat, they weren't worried about a fight.

However, none of them wanted to find out what would happen if a stray spell were to hit Jonathan. Harry was generally a fair leader, but they had all seen just how devastating he could be if sufficiently riled.

"I'm not pulling anything Weasley. The papers are signed, sealed, and filed. Dean and I are officially members of The Academy. Our things have been moved from the tower and ours beds removed by now. We would have left sooner, but Harry made us get permission from our parents first." Seamus crossed his arms and stared unblinkingly at Ron.

Breath coming in short, angry bursts, the redhead clenched his fist. Concerned for what he might do, Hermione put her hand on his arm. "Calm down Ron. It isn't like we didn't see this coming, they were much closer to Potter than we were."

Disbelieving silence filled the hall. Even the other two schools quieted, realizing that the witch had said something incredibly stupid.

"The only reason we were so much closer is because you abandoned your _best friend_ when he stopped fitting the image you wanted! So he has a child, that was no reason for you to abandon him! Though thanks for doing it, it certainly made it easier to talk to him without you two snapping at anyone who dared get to close!" Dean shot them a disgusted look and grabbed Seamus' elbow.

"Come on guys, there's no reason for us to sit and listen to this idiot. We can wait for Harry in the Entrance Hall." The group warily moved through the sea of students, relaxing a little when Remus and Rick joined them at the doors to the Great Hall.

Remus clapped his hand on Dean's shoulder in support as he passed the dark teen to lead the way to the large doors that led outside. They settled in a corner of the hall to wait, but their solitude didn't last long before Draco Malfoy came sauntering over.

Near the back of the small group, with Taylor, Garrett and Krista huddled around him, James stiffened. "I see you finally found your place Harper. Squatting among mongrels and mudbloods."

Refusing to bite, James continued to stare straight ahead. Seeing this, Draco sneered "Think you're a big man because Potter took you in? How pathetic. You can't even cast a proper lumos. All you're good for is cleaning up after some brats."

Taylor glanced up at James and frowned when he saw how tight the older boy's face looked. Throwing his shoulders back and puffing out his chest, Taylor marched determinedly up to the blond. "James_-__**niisan is a hundred times better than you and could kill you in your sleep! I hate you, you jerk!**_" He kicked Draco's shin, then quickly scurried behind a grinning Remus.

The Slytherin cursed and hopped comically on one foot as he held his shin. The little brat could kick! Before he could retaliate, or try to anyway, someone cleared their throat behind him. "You aren't bothering my little brother are you Malfoy?"

Malfoy whirled around, blue eyes taking in Blaise and Theodore standing side by side with polite smiles. The blond clamped his mouth shut so fast his teeth clicked. "Of course not Zabini, Nott. I was just asking about living in the forest. There must be all sorts of fascinating things in there."

His tone of voice seemed almost pained and he quickly moved to join the lingering Slytherins on the other side of the hall. The small group watched him go before anyone spoke. "_**How are you doing little brother?**_" Blaise came forward to hug James and then gently inspect the younger boy.

"_**Living in the forest seems to agree with you.**_" The Italian smiled widely.

James returned the smile with a smaller one of his own and shrugged a little. "_**Its easier to not have to worry about whether I have the power to perform a spell in class or not. Harry-sama only demands that I understand how the spell works and what it should do. Being able to defend myself from it, or get outo f it's way is more important.**_"

Humming, Blaise took a step back and let Theodore look James over critically. As far as he was concerned, James was his little brother too. "_**And the other lessons? I didn't learn much, but I do a little bit about it.**_"

It was like he'd said the magic words. James' face lit up and he leaned forward a little eagerly. "_**They're great! Its almost better than when I first started doing magic **_Blaise_**! I'm really good at a branch called genjutsu, which is the art of illusions. Harry says it must be because I was in Slytherin.**_"

Blaise laughed and congratulated his little brother, but their talk was cut short as Ron stepped into the Entrance Hall and shouted out. Remus frowned at the determined look on the redhead's face and turned to the others. "_**I think we should wait outside by the forest. It looks like we won't get any peace in here.**_"

They quickly filed out of the building entirely, wrapping up in their coats, cloaks, and scarves to keep warm. A pissed glint in his eye, Blaise rounded on a suddenly unsure Weasley. He didn't often get to talk with his little brother, Weasley would pay for making that time so short.

"So you're trying to tell me that you want to put a child, a _baby_, in danger for some tournament?" Sirius stared at the other adults in the room with disbelief. The ministry officials shifted uncomfortably, but Dumbledore continued to twinkle at him.

"You're out of your minds. Not only will _I_ not condone that, Harry wouldn't either! He would _destroy_ you if he knew you'd even considered doing such a thing to his son!" Karkaroff glanced away, perhaps feeling shame. Madame Maxime nodded in agreement and Sirius relaxed a little. If two of the three schools who were originally supposed to participate disagreed then it wasn't going to happen.

It seemed Dumbledore realized that as well, because he cleared his throat. "Harry has shown a remarkable disinterest in other students. It is unlikely he would feel any sort of urgency should a classmate, such as Ronald Weasley, go missing. It will have to be someone closer to him than a mere student."

Sirius snorted and waved Dumbledore's words off. "That would be like asking me to care if Snape was kidnapped by goblins or some such nonsense."

An irritated noise drew everyone's attention to Karkaroff "Then who would you suggest Black?"

Thoughtfully, Sirius leaned back in his chair. "It can't be anyone he'd worry to much about. So not his son, not either of the Creeveys, Percy isn't a student anymore…" He chewed his cheek with a frown of concentration on his face. Then his gray eyes lit up with triumph. "Mikael. You can use Mikael Demidov, after explaining everything to him thoroughly."

"Why can eet not be zomeone zat ze boy will care for? We want 'im to be hasty, not unconzerned." Madame Maxine frowned at him now, as if suspecting him of trying to pull one over on them.

The supposed headmaster of The Academy snorted and leaned forward in his chair. "Because of the entirely frightening response he has to any kind of threat to his pack. You thought his performance with the dragon was dull? You should have put Dennis, or even J-James in that beast's nest. There would be nothing of the dragon, or you, left."

Another throat clearing brought Crouch to everyone's attention. "From what I've seen, Mr. Potter seems very close to Mr. Demidov. Does he not consider him part of his-his _pack_?" The man's lip curled a little at the term.

Sirius grinned at them, but the expression did more to unsettle the group than relax them. "Mikael is his partner, his bonded. He has no fear of anyone harming Mikael because the boy is as good at protecting himself as Harry is."

The door opened and Fleur Delacour floated in with a bland look on her face. She moved to stand beside her headmistress without so much as glancing at the others in the room and following her came Viktor, Cedric, and Harry. The black haired boy did glance around the room, but only to note exits and whether he'd have to be on his guard.

Only Viktor noticed when Sirius dipped his head a little in deference to Harry, but he didn't comment on it. It was hardly his place to question the dynamics of another school when his own was run by the youngest Professor on staff, not that Karkaroff would admit to it.

"Everyone still has their golden eggs?" Dumbledore glanced around at the students and Cedric was embarrassed to note that he was the only one who brought his. Harry brought a hand up to his mouth to cover his amused smile at the older boy's embarrassment.

At the incredulous looks everyone else shot him, the old man chuckled. "I suppose that would be a hard thing to lose. The clue to your next task is in the egg." He beamed out at them, as if he'd imparted some kind of great knowledge.

Crouch rolled his eyes at the headmaster and motioned for Cedric to hand him his egg. "The eggs can be opened by a latch here. It is recommended that you open them when everyone in the room is awake as they can be loud. Mr. Potter, it would probably be better to leave yours closed if your son is in the room. The noise may cause him distress."

"Thank you Mr. Crouch." Harry bowed slightly and Sirius quickly followed suit.

"If no one has anything else to add?" Karkaroff glanced around the room with a small sneer on his lips and nodded when no one spoke up. "Viktor and I will retire to the ship. Come Viktor."

"Yes Headmaster Karkaroff." The man may not run the school, but appearances couldn't be dropped for this lot.

The pair left the room and Sirius stood with a small grunt of effort. He'd gotten comfortable in the plush chair. "Come on Harry, Rick's probably let Jonathan eat something he shouldn't by this point."

A dark look crossed Harry's face and the adults in the room all stiffened at it's appearance. Perhaps it was better they hadn't gone through with using Potter's son after all.

"If he's so much as left a to big piece of bread near Jonathan he'll wish he'd taken the chance to have more children when he was married."

The door shut with a sharp snap and Sirius laughed. "That was perfect, though I hope you wouldn't do it for real."

Harry rolled his eyes and stopped at an open window. It faced the forest and he could see his small group huddling together at the edge of the trees, waiting for them. "The point was for me to frighten them, or you wouldn't have mentioned something that could upset me."

Climbing onto the sill of the window, Harry pushed chakra into his legs and leaped out. They were on the second floor so it wasn't a very long fall before he landed and took off toward the forest. He didn't stop at the group, merely shot past them and smiled when they immediately broke to followed closely after.

Later that night, in the new camp, Harry stared up at the ceiling of his tent. The dinner had been silent, as they'd sat at the Ravenclaw table with Beauxbatons. They didn't want to deal with any of the people that would cause problems.

It had caused a bit of a stir when Dean and Seamus had sat with them, rather than their usual places at Gryffindor. They'd easily ignored that however, so the only trouble came when dinner was over and Harry had moved to the meeting room.

Several students had approached and harassed them, mostly insulting the fact that they weren't really a school and that Harry was a glory-seeking bastard. Harry had been amused by the insults when they'd been reported to him by a frowning James, but had not been amused that his pack had felt so threatened as to leave the building.

A rustling at his room's entrance drew his attention from the increasingly agitating thoughts to Percy. The taller boy was watching him uncertainly. "_**You said if I ever needed to escape…**_"

Lifting the blanket, Harry grunted his assent. Percy settled into the bed after stripping down to his boxers. Harry let the blanket drop and closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

They lay in silence for several long minutes before Harry grew irritated with Percy's fidgeting. He quickly rolled over and grabbed the back of Percy's neck, meshing their lips together. He pulled back a little to take a breath, then pressed their lips together again for a calmer kiss.

Percy began to relax somewhere around the fifth kiss and by the seventh he was responding with timid enthusiasm. Harry rolled over further, settling on top of the redhead and slid his lips from the gasping mouth to Percy's neck.

A sharp nip drew a small cry from the larger boy and Harry soothed the slight hurt with his tongue. "_**Is this what you came here for Percy?**_" He ground their erections together and chuckled a little at uncontrolled jerk of the hips below him.

"_**N-no. I-ah-Dumbledore wouldn't leave me a-alone.**_" He gasped and gripped Harry's hair tightly as teeth scraped over his nipple. "_**But this is a nice bonuuuuuusssss…**_" he trailed off with a groan and rolled his hips up to meet Harry's own.

Sitting up, Harry snatched his wand from the bedside table and flicked it quickly around the room. Silencing charms taken care of, he quickly tugged Percy's boxers off. "_**Well it looks like the old man did something right for once.**_"

Green eyes focused on the straining erection nestled in a bed of red curls. Slowly, he leaned forward and blew gently on it. Percy keened as he realized what Harry meant to do, but managed to think enough through his haze to ask "_**Wh-what's that?**_"

A flash of white teeth as Harry grinned an answer at him "_**He drove you straight to my bed,**_" and a mouth was descending on him.

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Please let me know what you think and Robyn! Leave an e-mail or something so I can reply to your awesome reviews!I always feel bad when I can't! Also, I'm sorry Hanzo-sama, I hope this makes up for the failure that was last chapter. T-T

Taku


	35. Chapter 34

**Rating: **M

**Warnings:** Slash/Yaoi, Het, blood and stuff, underage (technically)

**Note:** Damn it's been a while! Sorry about the wait guys. I was in a bit of a rut and then distracted myself with RPing and the Fireland's Content for WoW. A friend of mine asked about my fanfiction today though and it got my butt in gear. I hope this isn't too much of a disappointment for how long it took. 8'D

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"Don't open that door until the alarm goes off to let you know its morning." James nodded solemnly, Jonathan cradled against his chest. Behind him the three Creeveys were playing a card game with Taylor and Garrett watching quietly. Percy was at the Burrow for the night, deciding what he wanted to take with him when he moved into Harry's camp.

Satisfied that all the strictly human members of his pack would be safe, Harry stepped out of the tent. The door vanished behind him. Waiting around the fire were his werewolf and animagus pack mates. They were waiting, the werewolves only covered by blankets, for the moon to rise.

As the sun began to set Harry rolled his shoulders and tugged on the part of his magic and soul that housed his animagus form. The wolf came easily out, tail wagging eagerly at the chance to play. When green eyes opened he was greeted with a large black dog and two werewolves. Krista was petting a docile Mikael, giggling quietly at how soft his fur was.

Harry could see the way he body trembled though. The influence of the coming moon causing fissures of pain to lance through her body. When she dropped to the ground and began twitching Harry stepped forward and gently nuzzled her. Remus and Sirius both went on guard to protect the three younger wolves in case of intruders.

He didn't stay at her side long however. A sharp scream ripped out of the tent and Harry barked a stay command to his packmates. He hurried to the tent, transforming halfway there and mutter a quick password. The door reappeared and he ripped it open in time for jaws to close around his arm.

Blood spilling from the wound, Harry staggered back and glanced inside. No one seemed to be hurt so he let the door close and vanish behind him. "Haa…." He shook the wolf off his arm, quickly transforming and tackling it to the ground. The scent that wafted off of the dusty blond fur was distinctly Creevey with an undertone of Dennis.

Harry was sure Dennis hadn't been bitten….but he had been licked. Mikael had licked Dennis' wounds after their camp was attacked. He hadn't thought anything of it them because Mikael often licked his wounds clean, but Dennis wasn't immune to werewolf saliva like Harry was.

The realization of how much he'd fucked up was like a blow to Harry and he backed off the smaller canine. A quiet whine filled the deafening silence. All eyes moved to Krista, who was trying to stand on shaky legs. Dennis was still sprawled in the dirt, panting and dripping bloody saliva onto the ground.

Sirius inched toward Dennis, being careful of Mikael. Harry's partner had his tail and ears sticking up, his legs ramrod straight as he darted his eyes between Dennis and the animagus. Under that watchful stare Sirius lowered his head and nuzzled Dennis' side. The wolf growled in confusion and pain back at him.

Turning away from the two, Harry limped over to lick gently at Krista's muzzle. His front leg hurt. It was a pain he knew he'd just have to endure though, as punishment for letting this happen to Dennis. How was he going to face the boy's father in the morning? His brother?

A nose nudged his side and Harry turned his head to look at the smaller wolf. Dennis' tail wagged cautiously, head low to the ground, and Harry licked over his nose reassuringly. It wasn't the other's fault that this had happened.

Tilting his head back, the alpha let out a loud howl. His pack took up the call and began into the woods. Mikael stuck close to Harry and the younger two, watching Sirius and Remus as the playfully chased each other among the trees. Harry figured that the pups would feel more lively after the pain of their transformation wore off and kept his pace slow but steady into the woods.

Halfway through the night Dennis got shakily to his legs in the clearing they'd settled on. Green eyes watched him sharply for any sign of weakness. When Dennis took a few steps toward the tree line Harry barked sharply. The pup tucked his tail between his legs, but turned an imploring look on his alpha.

Sitting with Remus and Sirius, the three of them batting at a frightened niffler, Mikael looked up. The niffler, seeing its chance, darted by him and straight into Remus' jaws.

Whining questioningly, Mikael looked over at Dennis and then Harry. The older turned his head back to a dozing Krista in silent permission. The bigger werewolf gave a canine grin. He loved it when he got to play, but it wasn't often as Remus and Sirius were usually preoccupied with each other and Harry found more interest in training while they were both in dog form and unable to change back.

So, when Dennis hesitantly followed him into the trees he immediately set to sniffing for some prey. It would be good for his younger companion to get some hunting in and Mikael found this to be one of the most enjoyable parts of his disease.

Harry was twitching his tail for Krista, the black werewolf pouncing playfully on it and then retreating, when he heard a howl that was definitely not one of his pups. He was on his feet in seconds, ears pricked and tail lifted as he listened for where they'd gone.

Across the clearing Remus and Sirius were also standing at attention. Their half eaten rabbit forgotten in the face of a potential threat to their pack. The sound of a yelp got them in action, Krista panting to keep up. They came into a break in the trees caused by a small stream.

Four wolves were facing off. Mikael standing in front of a whimpering Dennis while two larger werewolves growled at him from across the stream. Harry stepped forward, his own deep growl adding to Mikael's. Behind him came Sirius and Remus' own voices with Krista's higher pitch making the sound more eerie than a pack of growling wolves usually sounded.

He took another threatening step forward, the two wolves turning from the adolescent to Harry's more grown form. His animagus seemed to be more developed than his human body was. The male lunged forward, but didn't cross the water, and Harry snarled at him and made a mock rush to put himself in front of Mikael.

They stood like that for several minutes, just posturing, until a quiet yip drew Harry's attention behind the pair of wolves. Hiding behind what had to be it's mother was a small rust colored puppy. It's huge eyes and too large ears were staring straight at Harry in curiosity and fear.

Well now he knew why they hadn't turn tail and run when they saw how much larger his pack was compared to theirs. He growled again, posture becoming less antagonistic. There was only one baby werewolf in the area and he didn't want to start anything with her parents. He liked them.

Turning his head, Harry irritably flicked his tail and growled at his pack to leave. Neither side would cross the river tonight.

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Also, tumblr kinda ate my soul.

Taku


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